braised white beans

 This was a nice hearty dish that goes very nicely on thin toasted whole wheat sourdough.   I didn't use greens this time but I will in the future.

• garlic, shallots, or other aromatics 
• rosemary or other herbs  
• white beans (I used Great Northern beans that I'd canned without any salt, so I just dumped the jar in) 
• kale or other green, large handful, chopped
• salt & pepper 

Saute aromatics in wide pan, then dump in beans, herbs, greens.  Cook on medium heat to cook down the liquid.  Add salt and pepper, other spices and herbs as desired.  

green beans and ground sausage

That's pretty much all it is, just green beans and ground sausage, but it made a nice meal.  I did also add garlic and pepper. 

• 2 cloves garlic
• green beans (a pound?  I have no idea, just whatever was ready for harvest in my garden)
• 1/2 pound ground Italian chicken sausage 

Lightly saute garlic on medium-low heat until aromatic, a couple of minutes.  Add green beans and saute a couple of minutes at medium heat.

Add 1/4 cup water and bring to boil.  Put a lid on it and cook for about three minutes.  When still firm, remove from heat, add pepper and any other desires seasoning.  Put beans and garlic on a plate/bowl.

Using the same pan, cook the sausage.  Once fully cooked, add the green beans/garlic mixture back in and stir to heat.  Taste and season accordingly.

Could eat with roasted root vegetables or a grain or whatever but I like it just like this!   

spiced lentils w/carrots

Spiced lentils, made by Dear Friend and super tasty.   

• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic
• 4 carrots, chopped 
• 1 tsp grated garlic
• cumin, cinnamon, allspice, crushed red pepper, garam masala, etc. 
• 1 cup brown or green lentils
• 3 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1/4 c dried fruit
• 3 cup veg broth

Saute onion, garlic, ginger, and carrots in a healthy amount of olive oil.

Add spices.

Add rest of ingredients, stir, bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.  

baghali polo - favas, dill & rice

I had dill to use up and plentiful favas and came upon baghali polo recipe.  Seems there are many ways to make it.

Here's what I did, which was ok.  It would definitely be better with basmati rice; I used short-grain brown because that's what I had on hand.  I'm sure it's much better when made by someone Persian. 

https://www.themediterraneandish.com/baghali-polo-persian-dill-rice-with-fava-beans/ 

 https://food52.com/recipes/41908-rice-with-favas-and-dill-baghali-polo

https://www.aheadofthyme.com/baghali-polo-persian-dill-rice-with-fava-beans/ 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdT4KdsVnpk 

• 1.5 cup rice 
• 2 cups favas shelled and peeled as necessary 
• dill bunches (add dry as necessary), chopped 
• salt
• oil
• butter
• saffron  

Parboil the rice.  I did 15 minutes and probably should have done 30. 

Saute the favas and dill with oil and butter.  

Put a pinch of saffron in 1 cup hot water with more butter if desired. 

Layer 1/3 of rice on bottom, half favas & dill, alternate for rice on top.  Put three holes into the rice with handle of spoon, pour saffron water in and turn on heat.

Once steaming, turn down very low, put towel under lid, and cook about 50 minutes.   

tahini cake with chocolate

 This cake was quite good.  I adjusted it a lot and it still turned out good.  It rose a lot which surprised me.  I went short on oil because it was the end of the bottle, and a bit more tahini to finish that jar.  I used one large duck egg instead of the egg + yolk, and I used whole wheat flour and dark chocolate.  Next time I would skip the topping and just mix everything in.  Most of it got frozen; not sure it will stay good for long because I cut the sugar so much.  

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons oil 
• ⅔ cup/170 grams tahini, well-stirred
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• ¾ cup/177 milliliters whole milk
• ¾ cup/150 grams plus 2 tablespoons sugar (I reduced to 1/4 cup + 1 T; no need for sugar on top)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1½ cups/192 grams all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup/115 grams coarsely chopped semisweet chocolate
• ¼ cup sesame seeds, toasted (recipe called for some to be on top but it made it messy) 

Preparation

1. Heat the oven to 350. Line 9-inch square baking pan with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. 
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil and tahini. Add the egg, egg yolk and milk and whisk until completely smooth. Whisk in sugar and the vanilla. 
3. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and fold in with a rubber spatula. Fold in chocolate and sesame seeds. 
4. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake until the cake is puffed and set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost clean with a few moist crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes in the pan, then lift the cake out of the pan using the parchment overhang and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 
5. To serve, cut the cooled cake into 16 pieces. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw uncovered at room temperature before serving. 

 

tofu leek stirfy

 I bought leeks, I had tofu to use up, and I found this recipe.  I used two leeks and two partial yellow onions; other vegetables would be nice in it.  Made enough for three servings; first I ate it alone, but when I heat it up I'll go with high-protein pasta I think.  

Mix together:

• 4 Tbsp soy sauce (or half of that amino acids)
• 2 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 3 Tbsp vegetable broth
• 1 lemon, juice

Cube

• 1 block extra firm tofu, pressed or frozen

And add tofu to marinade for overnight or less time.  

Then save marinade but remove tofu and toss with

• 1 cup cassava flour (believe I used less, and this could be substituted for something else) 

Dry fry the tofu on a cast iron pan until browned on most side.

Slice:

• leeks and onions (recipe called for 1 leek, 1 white onion, 1 red onion; I used two leeks and two small yellow onions)

Saute alliums, and add:

• 1 tsp garlic powder (heaping)
• 1 tsp smoked paprika

Once the alliums are softened a bit, add the tofu in and stir, then add the marinade and cook down. 

Cook just as it is, or eat with rice or pasta or potatoes. 

 

 

corn pudding-ish

 I'm sure this recipe is great, but here's what I had on hand and it hit the spot for a corn custard.

In a large bowl, combine:

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
•  1/4 cup melted butter
• 2 T cornstarch
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 5+ dashes of hot sauce
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 1/2 cup sour cream  

Add in:

• 2-3 cups corn (fresh, or thawed)

Bake at 350 for about 50 minutes in an 8x8 pan (greased or with parchment paper).