We had nearly a whole day of sunlight this weekend, a true miracle in the northwest at this time of year, and I took Jenny on a picnic to celebrate. I brought this salad, some hummus with chips, two slices of leftover apple-pear pie, and some lime Perrier. It might have been the best meal I've ever had. The combination of fats from the chroizo and avocado pared with the clean, delicate flavor of the quinoa and the sharp bite of pepper and onion was perfectly balanced. We went through six servings in less than 24 hours.
Ingredients:
1 C Quinoa
12 oz of Tomato-based Vegetable Juice
4 oz Water
1/4 t Salt
1 Large Avocado
2 T Lemon Juice
1 Medium Red Bell Pepper
1 Small Red Onion
8 oz Kidney Beans (canned, drained)
8 oz Chorizo
Vinaigrette:
3 T Olive Oil
2 T Red Wine Vinegar
Juice of 1 Lime
1/2 t Cumin
1 Clove of Garlic, crushed
Salt & Pepper
Cook the Quinoa in the Vegetable Juice and Water--bring to boil, uncovered and then cover and simmer for 15 mins. Remove from heat and let stand, still covered, for 5-10 mins. Fluff with a fork and then chill. Dice Avocado and mix with Lemon Juice to preserve color. Dice Bell Pepper and Red Onion into small chunks and mix, along with Kidney Beans, with the Quinoa. Whisk vinaigrette ingredients together and toss with salad mixture. Peel the Chorizo, slice into thin disc and brown lightly over medium heat, drain fat and add to salad. Top each serving with Avocado and serve immediately.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Pecan-Cornmeal Waffles
I had these amazing waffles one morning at the J&M cafe--stuffed with golden pecans and slathered in house-made ginger butter and real maple syrup, and I knew as I was eating them that I was going to have to replicate the recipe so I could eat them over and over again in privacy of my own home where no one was counting servings.
I took this particular recipe on the road with me, most of my complex cooking being done with the aim of impressing someone else. Mixing the dry ingredients together ahead of time made assembling the batter a breeze which certainly improved my show-off quotient.
Also, I realize that separating and whipping the egg whites can seem dauntingly time consuming, but the difference in texture is notable and completely worth the extra effort. Cross my heart.
Ingredients:
3/4 C Cornmeal
3/4 C Flour
2 1/2 t Baking Powder
1/4 t Salt
1 T Sugar
1/2 C Pecan Pieces
Zest of 1 Lemon
2 Eggs
1 C Buttermilk
2 T Butter, melted
Mix together Cornmeal, Flour, Baking Powder, Salt, Sugar, and Pecans, set aside. Separate egg whites from yolks and whip (either by hand or with an electric mixer) until soft peaks form. Mix together Egg Yolks, Lemon Zest, Buttermilk, and Butter in a large bowl. Stir in the dry ingredients just until combined, and then gently fold the Egg Whites in using a wooden spoon--the less you stir, the lighter the waffles will be. Cook according to your waffle maker's directions.
I took this particular recipe on the road with me, most of my complex cooking being done with the aim of impressing someone else. Mixing the dry ingredients together ahead of time made assembling the batter a breeze which certainly improved my show-off quotient.
Also, I realize that separating and whipping the egg whites can seem dauntingly time consuming, but the difference in texture is notable and completely worth the extra effort. Cross my heart.
Ingredients:
3/4 C Cornmeal
3/4 C Flour
2 1/2 t Baking Powder
1/4 t Salt
1 T Sugar
1/2 C Pecan Pieces
Zest of 1 Lemon
2 Eggs
1 C Buttermilk
2 T Butter, melted
Mix together Cornmeal, Flour, Baking Powder, Salt, Sugar, and Pecans, set aside. Separate egg whites from yolks and whip (either by hand or with an electric mixer) until soft peaks form. Mix together Egg Yolks, Lemon Zest, Buttermilk, and Butter in a large bowl. Stir in the dry ingredients just until combined, and then gently fold the Egg Whites in using a wooden spoon--the less you stir, the lighter the waffles will be. Cook according to your waffle maker's directions.
Blueberry-Pear Pie
This was originally meant to be Cranberry-Pear, which I thought was an excellent alternative to my other (rather limited) seasonally appropriate options--apple, pumpkin, etc. But, as always, my pies are baked for Jenny and she requested blueberries instead which turned out to be an excellent combination. I used frozen blueberries for this, slightly defrosted, and comice pears which were firmer to the touch than I would buy just for snacking on.
Of course, I decided to buy my blueberries at the Co-op and, while they were locally grown and delicious, they were also rather full of twigs and general organic debris which I blithely tossed into my pie filling without noticing. Luckily, I was still early in the process and was able to rinse and strain the fruit. Fairly embarrassing though.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 C Pears
2 C Blueberries
1 T Lemon Juice
2/3 C Sugar
1 1/2 T Cornstarch
1 T Milk
1 t Sugar
Also, one recipe Basic Pie Crust
Peel and core pears, cut into wedges and then thinly slice. Toss with lemon juice and add the RINSED blueberries. Add in the cornstarch and 2/3 cup of sugar and pour into prepared pie crust. Cover with top crust and vent. Brush with milk and sprinkle the remaining teaspoon of sugar on top.
Bake at 400-degrees for the first 30 minutes, then turn down to 375 for the last 25. (Total Baking Time: 55 mins)
Of course, I decided to buy my blueberries at the Co-op and, while they were locally grown and delicious, they were also rather full of twigs and general organic debris which I blithely tossed into my pie filling without noticing. Luckily, I was still early in the process and was able to rinse and strain the fruit. Fairly embarrassing though.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 C Pears
2 C Blueberries
1 T Lemon Juice
2/3 C Sugar
1 1/2 T Cornstarch
1 T Milk
1 t Sugar
Also, one recipe Basic Pie Crust
Peel and core pears, cut into wedges and then thinly slice. Toss with lemon juice and add the RINSED blueberries. Add in the cornstarch and 2/3 cup of sugar and pour into prepared pie crust. Cover with top crust and vent. Brush with milk and sprinkle the remaining teaspoon of sugar on top.
Bake at 400-degrees for the first 30 minutes, then turn down to 375 for the last 25. (Total Baking Time: 55 mins)
Basic Pie Crust
Ingredients:
2 1/2 C Pastry Flour
1 T Powdered Sugar
1 t Salt
1/2 C Unsalted Butter
1/2 C Shortening
Ice Water
Equipment:
Large Mixing Bowl
Pastry Blender
2 Forks
Rolling Pin
Stir together the flour, powdered sugar, and salt in mixing bowl. Cut the butter and shortening into tablespoon sized pieces and mix into dry ingredients with pastry blender until reduced to pea sized chunks and evenly distributed through flour. Add a 1/4 C of ice water and use two forks to lift the flour mixture through the water (versus stirring the water in), until moisture is evenly distributed. Continue adding water by tablespoons just until dough will stick together with pressure, remember that the moisture will continue to permeate the dough while it chills.
Divide the dough into 2 halves, form into balls, wrap in plastic, and chill until your filling is finished.
2 1/2 C Pastry Flour
1 T Powdered Sugar
1 t Salt
1/2 C Unsalted Butter
1/2 C Shortening
Ice Water
Equipment:
Large Mixing Bowl
Pastry Blender
2 Forks
Rolling Pin
Stir together the flour, powdered sugar, and salt in mixing bowl. Cut the butter and shortening into tablespoon sized pieces and mix into dry ingredients with pastry blender until reduced to pea sized chunks and evenly distributed through flour. Add a 1/4 C of ice water and use two forks to lift the flour mixture through the water (versus stirring the water in), until moisture is evenly distributed. Continue adding water by tablespoons just until dough will stick together with pressure, remember that the moisture will continue to permeate the dough while it chills.
Divide the dough into 2 halves, form into balls, wrap in plastic, and chill until your filling is finished.
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