Tag: vegetables

Asparagus with Hard-boiled Egg Dressing.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchen1 Comment

Adapted from seven spoons, this alternative salad is unique, fresh, and bright. It’s perfect for dressing up a simple main dish, like a roasted chicken breast or mushroom ravioli. Welcome the spring with a vibrant and healthy asparagus dish, and watch out, or you might just eat the whole platter yourself.

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INGREDIENTS

2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and diced, whites and yolks separated
2 bunches asparagus, bases snapped off
1/8 tsp salt, plus more to taste
2 green onions, white parts finely diced, green parts sliced (keep them separate)
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp brown mustard
olive oil
red pepper flakes
parsley, chopped
pepper

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DIRECTIONS

In a medium-sized bowl (you’ll be mixing your dressing in here), stir together 1/8 tsp salt, the white parts of the green onion, and balsamic vinegar. Set aside.

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Fill a shallow pan with a bit less than an inch of water. Bring to a boil and add the asparagus. Cover and cook for 2 minutes, then remove from heat, drain, and place asparagus in an ice bath, so that they stay crisp and bright.

Combine mustard, half of the diced egg yolk, and 1 tbsp olive oil. Mix until smooth. While stirring, slowly add more olive oil until consistency is slightly runny. Stir in scallion mixture and egg whites, and add red pepper flakes, parsley, salt, and pepper to taste. Mix well.

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Place asparagus–either cold or hot, both are good!–on a platter and top with dressing. Garnish with remaining egg yolk and green parts of green onion. Happy St. Paddy’s Day!!

Red Lentil Soup.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchen1 Comment

I’m always on the lookout for new healthy, yummy, and portable dishes to bring to work for lunch. This bright and fragrant spiced lentil soup is full of protein and iron, and it’s sure to hold you over until you get home for dinner! And the best part is, dried lentils are so much faster and easier to cook with than many of their fellow legumes, which require soaking overnight. Lentils only cook 20-30 minutes until they’re tender and ready to eat!

INGREDIENTS:

1 large onion, diced
4 carrots, peeled and diced
3-5 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups red lentils, picked clean and rinsed
8 cups water or stock (I used homemade chicken stock, but vegetable stock is just as good)
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp turmeric
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

DIRECTIONS

In a dutch oven or large soup pot, saute the carrot and onion in olive oil until soft. Add garlic and cook another minute or two.

Add the washed lentils and water or stock. Then add the cumin, turmeric, coriander, ginger, bay leaves, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook 20 – 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender. Remove from heat.

A very yummy soup, even if one of your bay leaves is broken...

Discard bay leaves and puree in batches. Garnish with parsley and serve with crusty brown bread and butter.

Vegetable Pot Pie.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchen1 Comment

Growing up, my family used to make chicken pot pie using the easy recipe on the back of the Bisquick box. But the dish we’d end up with always turned out flavorless and dough-heavy. This recipe is your cure for the common pot pie! And you won’t miss the chicken at all; it’s so robust and flavorful that even the manliest carnivore won’t miss the meat!

INGREDIENTS

crust: (if you don’t want to make one, buy a pre-made crust–just make sure you have both a top and a bottom layer)
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup wheat flour
2 tbsp sugar
3/4 salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 cup cold butter
1 cup milk
egg wash: 1 egg and a splash of water or milk

filling:
1 cup quinoa
1 cup water or broth (I use homemade chicken stock)
olive oil
1 cup red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tbsp rosemary
1/2 tsp salt
1/2  tsp cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup sweet potato, diced
1 cup spinach, julienned
1 cup frozen green peas
2 tbsp wheat flour
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp red wine
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup milk

DIRECTIONS

First, prepare the crust. Let the butter sit out while you mix the dry ingredients. Combine the flours, sugar, salt, pepper, and cumin with a fork. Then cut the butter into cubes and break it into the flour mixture, using a fork to combine. Chunks of butter are okay! They melt and make the crust flaky and good.

Slowly stir in the milk. You might not need it all–add just enough until the dough holds loosely together. Cut the dough in half, cover, and refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

Cook the quinoa. Bring one cup quinoa and one cup liquid to a boil, then turn down to simmer until the liquid is absorbed. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium. Cook onion, garlic, rosemary, paprika, salt, cumin, and pepper until onion starts to soften, about 3 minutes.

Add celery, carrot, and sweet potato and cook until veggies start to brown, about 8 minutes.

While the veggies cook, prepare the bottom layer of crust. On a floured surface, roll out half the dough until it’s slightly larger than the size of your pie pan. Drape the dough over the pan, and press it into the sides to fit. Trim the edges. Bake the crust for about 8 minutes and then remove from the oven.

Back to the vegetables. Stir in the flour to evenly coat the veggies. Cook out the raw flour taste, about 2 minutes.

Now add soy sauce, red wine, and lemon juice. Stir to combine. Cook for another minute before adding milk. Simmer until the milk becomes like a gravy or sauce, and remove from heat.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked veggies, spinach, peas, and quinoa. Fill your pie crust.

Now prepare the top crust. On a floured surface, roll out the second half of the dough so that it will fit easily over your pie. Trim the edges and crimp the two layers of crust together using the prongs of a fork.

Make the egg wash by scrambling the egg and adding a splash or water or milk. Brush it over the crust, especially along the crimped edge.

Poke a few holes in the center with your fork and bake for 15 minutes. Brush with egg wash once more, and return to the oven for 10-15 more minutes, for a total bake time of 25-30 minutes. Let it cool a bit and enjoy!

Rick Bayless’ Mango Guacamole.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchenLeave a comment

I love Rick Bayless‘ style. Anyone who’s eaten at one of his restaurants or watched his show, Mexico: One Plate at a Time, can tell he knows his stuff when it comes to Mexican flavors and ingredients. So whenever I’m in the mood for Mexican, I look to him for ideas; that’s where this yummy twist on standard guac came from. The mango really brightens the dish, and the serrano chile adds a layer of flavor that goes so well with avocado. Definitely a go-to for guacamole lovers. Buen provecho!

INGREDIENTS

2 ripe avocados
1 serrano chile, seeded and minced
1 tbsp lime juice
1 small ripe mango, diced
salt, pepper, diced red onion, cilantro to taste

DIRECTIONS

Cut avocado in half and remove the pit. Scoop the avocado flesh into a mixing bowl. Add salt and pepper and mash with a fork or potato masher.

Add mango, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, and serrano chile. Stir to combine. Garnish with more mango and cilantro and serve with tortilla chips.

Czech Goulash (Old recipe).

Published on by KellyInTheKitchen2 Comments

For the updated Czech Goulash recipe, click here.

This is my original recipe for goulash. I’ve since updated it, and I really like the new version much better – it’s more potently paprika-ed and also more authentic, in that it’s less like a chunky vegetable stew and more like the slow-cooked, warming, fortifying dish I ate in Prague. I recommend checking out the updated recipe instead, but in case this one tickles your fancy a little more, I didn’t want to delete it!

INGREDIENTS

3 tbsp olive oil
3 medium onions, chopped
2 lb stew beef, cubed
3 cloves garlic
4-6 celery stalks, chopped
4-6 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp paprika
2 tsp caraway seed
3-5 tbsp flour, depending on desired thickness (I use all-purpose, but potato flour works just as well, for those with gluten allergies)
8 oz canned crushed tomato
3-5 cups cold water or stock
salt, pepper to taste
marjoram or parsley, sour cream for garnish
2 medium potatoes, boiled and cubed (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Heat oil over medium in Dutch oven or other large soup pot. Add onions and cook until transparent. Then add the beef and cook until browned.

Add garlic, paprika, caraway seed, salt, pepper, and flour, if you’re using it. Stir and cook about 2 minutes, careful not to let the seasonings burn. Then toss in the carrots and celery and cook another two or three minutes, until the seasonings coat the veggies and they start to soften.

Add tomatoes and some of the cold water or stock, adding more as needed throughout the process (goulash can be stew-ier or soup-ier, however you like it).

Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally. I go for 3 hours whenever I can, and it’s worth it!

Serve with sour cream and parsley or marjoram for garnish. If you’re using potatoes (which we keep separate to avoid making the soup too starchy) add them to your bowl just before serving.

Roasted Root Vegetable Soup.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchenLeave a comment

As I mentioned in my post on Irish Brown Bread, Irish cooking isn’t the most sophisticated of world cuisines. Their bread is one exception, and their soups are another. This five-step root vegetable puree is perfect for chilly weather and involves more waiting than actual preparation/tending — very low maintenance. It’s a yummy, healthy soup that will warm you from the inside out!

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INGREDIENTS

4 parsnips, peeled and sliced

4-6 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 onion, sliced

1 sweet potato, cubed

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp dried thyme

3 tbsp olive oil, divided

2 large leeks, thoroughly washed and sliced (just the white and light green parts)

1 bay leaf

5-8 cups vegetable broth

salt and pepper

Just the Recipe link: Roasted Root Vegetable Soup

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl, combine parsnips, carrots, onion, sweet potato, garlic, ginger, cumin, thyme, and 2 tbsp olive oil. Toss to coat. Spread a single layer onto foil-lined pans and roast until starting to caramelize.

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Heat the last tbsp of oil on medium low in a Dutch oven or other large pot and add leeks and bay leaf. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft.

Add the roasted veggies and broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Simmer until tender.

Remove bay leaf, puree in batches, and enjoy. “Enjoy” is best done with lots of buttered Irish Brown Bread!