Bulgur and Lentil Salad with Chickpeas

Just because it’s healthy doesn’t mean it can’t be yummy! From Deborah Madison

• 1/2 cup lentils (green if you can get them, but I used brown here, black would be good, too)
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and pepper
• 3/4 cup fine or medium bulgur
• 5 scallions, including some of the green tops, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves
• grated zest of 2 lemons
• 6-8 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (rinsed, if canned)
• 2 cups chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped mint or 2 tablespoons dried

Put the lentils in a small saucepan and cover with water. Add the bay leaf and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until tender but firm, approx 25 minutes, but times can vary depending on which lentil you use. While the lentils are cooking, put the bulgur in a bowl, cover with boiled water from a tea kettle, and let stand for 20-30 minutes until the water is absorbed and the grains area tender.

Whisk together the scallions, garlic, lemon zest and juice, oil, paprika, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. When the lentils are cooked, drain them and add them to the dressing. Press out any excess water from the bulgur and add it to the salad, along with the remaining ingredients. Toss gently but thoroughly, then taste for salt and season with pepper. Serve warm or cold.

Quinoa salad with mangoes and curry dressing

The weekend before the Memorial Day weekend was crazy hot in LA. We suffered through the Venice ArtWalk in something like 95 degree heat. It’s hard to get excited about art or anything else at that temperature. But it did get all excited about summer salads. I have some recipes that looked good and was really looking forward to the weather that would warrant some hearty summer salads. So I made all the salads last week and then it got cold. I wanted to grill for the holiday weekend and got a bunch of vegetables at the farmer’s market, but then it was too cold to grill. Anyway, this is a salad I will make again and again all summer. I hate peeling and slicing mangoes, but all the work was worth it –though I may seriously consider buying them peeled and sliced – it’s way more expensive, but this salad is soo worth it.

• salt
• 1 1/3 cups quinoa
• 2 large mangoes
• 1 jalapeno chile, seeded and diced
• 3 scallions, including 1 inch of the greens, sliced
• 1/3 cup almonds, roasted

Curry Vinaigritte

• 1 garlic clove
• salt
• 2 tablespoons yogurt, mayonnaise, or sour cream
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 5 tablespoons  light olive oil or canola oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in aa pan, then add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and the quinoa. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer 12- 15 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. Drain. Peel and slice the mangoes while the quinoa cooks.

Vinaigrette – mince the garlic and combine it with 1/4 teaspoon salt, the yogurt, and curry powder in a small bowl. Stir in the lemon juice, then add the oil and whisk. Let stand for 15 minutes, then stir in the cilantro. Taste and add salt if needed.

Toss the quinoa, mangoes, chile, scallions and vinaigrette. Chop the almonds and add them last so they will stay crisp.

 

 

DIY (do it yourself) Granola

I love granola in the summer. I can’t take my usual English muffin and one-egg omelet when it’s hot outside. Granola has always been a problem for me – I am not a fan of raisins. I’m a firm believer that the best use of grapes is for making wine. I was at my neighbor’s house a few months ago, and she was cooking up a batch of granola – we joked about what a total hippie she is – I mean, making granola-who does that? But I decided recently to make my own granola, using Mark Bittman’s How To Cook Everything Vegetarian as my guide. The great thing about making your own granola is that you can make it just the way you like it – so you won’t find any raisins in the one that I make.

• 6 cups of rolled oats – NOT instant or quick-cooking
• 2 cups of nuts and seeds
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• dash salt
• 1/2 to 1 cup of honey or maple syrup
• 1 cup (chopped) dried fruit

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Place a 9×13 pan over 2 stovetop burners, add the oats and cook 3-5 minutes, stir frequently so they don’t burn. Cook until they smell fragrant and change color. Then add the nuts and seeds and continue to cook for 2 more minutes – stir frequently so nothing burns. Turn off the heat, then add the cinnamon, salt, and sweetener. Stir to blend then bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Stir once or twice while baking to prevent granola from sticking to bottom of pan. Remove from the oven, add the dried fruit, and cool on a rack. Stir occasionally until granola comes to room temperature. Transfer to an airtight container. Bittman says you can store it in the fridge indefinitely, but since we eat it everyday, we go through it pretty fast.

So far, I liked a mix of sliced almonds and pecans, but I like to change it every time I make it, depending on what I have on hand and what I find in the store. I always use a blend of honey and syrup – 1 cup, because I like it a little sweet. I love blueberries and cranberries for this – a great dose of antioxidants to start the day.  Last week when I made a batch, I measured out extra oats and nuts and berries and put them in separate containers so they will be ready to go the next time I make it.

Fat-free greek yogurt and a little drop of honey on this keeps me going all morning!

Fusilli with tomato sauce, cauliflower and olives

This is simple, quick and delicious – my favorite trifecta! From Schulman’s Mediterranean Harvest – adapted slightly – she only calls for one cup of tomato sauce, but we like to use more, and the original recipe only calls for 1/2 head of cauliflower, but we the do the whole thing (which is probably why we need another cup of sauce).

• one head of cauliflower
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• salt
• 2-4 garlic cloves
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
• 24 kalamata olives, pitted
• 2 cups marina sauce (here’s a good one) Note: I used 1 can of cherry tomatoes for the sauce in this picture – I highly recommend them – I got it at Whole Foods
• 3/4 pound fusilli
• 2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

Bring a large pot of water to boil for cooking the pasta. While you are boiling the water, make the sauce.

Place the cauliflower cut side down on a cutting board and slice into 1/4 inch thick slices. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the cauliflower and cook, stirring often, until it begins to brown around the edges – about 5 minutes. Add some salt to taste, the garlic, and the red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring for another 2 – 3 minutes. Taste to make sure the cauliflower is well-seasoned. Stir in the olives and tomato sauce and reduce the heat to low while you wait for the pasta to cook..

Drain the cooked pasta and toss with the sauce. Sprinkle the feta cheese over the top and serve.

Refried Black Bean Quesadillas

I grew up with Mexican food – Tex-Mex was always the go-to ethnic food in the Southwest, and living in LA has given me an appreciation for Cali-Mex. They are two different versions of Mexican food – a chile relleno in LA is a poor imitation of a Tex-Mex chile relleno (it’s all in the frying – which they don’t like to do here in Cali).

This is an easy recipe:

• 2 8-inch tortillas
• 1/3 cup of refried black (or kidney or pinto) beans
• 1/3 -1/2 cup of shredded cheddar and monterey jack cheeses
• salsa
• gaucamole
• sour cream

Spray a griddle with nonstick spray and heat on medium (I find a griddle easier to use than a saute pan). While the griddle heats, spread the refried beans on one of the tortillas. When the griddle is hot, place the prepared tortilla on the griddle.

Feel free to add some veggies now, if you want. I had some frozen bell pepper strips in the freezer, so I thawed some and sauteed them in a small pan. I’m told mushroom quesadillas are good, but I don’t do mushrooms.

Then add some cheese – a good amount of coverage but not too much, otherwise it will be hard to flip. When the cheese has melted a bit, take the griddle off the burner. Hold a plate over the griddle and flip the quesadilla upside down onto the plate. Put the other tortilla on top of the quesadilla and slide the whole thing back onto the griddle. Cook until it’s a little crispy. You may have to turn it over a couple of times, but once the cheese has melted, the whole thing should stay together for direct flipping on the griddle.

Serve with a side of salsa, guacamole, and sour cream. Mark put them all on top for this picture, but I prefer to have them on the side so the quesadilla stays crispy.

Serves one.

 

Marinara Sauce

From Schulman’s Mediterranean Harvest. This recipe makes about 3 cups of sauce.

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 -4 cloves of garlic, minced or sliced
• 2  28 oz. cans of of diced tomatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• a few sprigs of fresh basil or 2 teaspoons of fresh thyme leaves

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, for 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for one minute. Add the tomatoes, sugar, fresh herbs, and some salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until thick – about 30 minutes. Adjust seasonings if necessary.

This can be used over pasta as a thick, chunky sauce, or you can puree it in the food processor for a smoother texture, as in pizza sauce. This will keep in the refrigerator for 5 days or you can freeze it. Freeze it in small portions if you are using it for pizzas.

The best pizza ever (outside of Italy and Brooklyn, anyway)

I love pizza. I eat it at least once a week. When I went to Italy a few years ago, I actually overdosed on pizza (and pasta).  My best memory of Naples (the birthplace of pizza) is the pizza we had at a small cafe outside the train station. It was made by a little old man using a wood-fired oven. Just a simple pizza margherita -it was fantastic! My other memories of Naples are not so great – we were waiting for friends who took a later train, so we walked around a little bit after our lunch. That city is definitely dodgy – I don’t know if it’s the mafia or what. I clutched my bag to my side the whole time.  Anyway, after two weeks of pizza and pasta all the time, I actually couldn’t eat pizza for about 2 months. Luckily, this wasn’t a permanent state and I was soon back to my old pizza-lovin’ self again. We moved back to NY a few years ago and lived in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, home of our favorite pizza place – Il Fornino. The best pizza ever – we go there every time we are back in NYC.

I have not had good luck with pizza in the past – dough is a strange and mysterious thing. It was never evenly cooked – the middle was always a little bit raw and I actually gave up completely a few months ago. The important tools for good pizza are: a pizza stone, a small pizza pan, and a pizza peel. This pizza recipe also uses slices of mozzarella, which I think gives a more even layer of cheese which promotes more even cooking. After you have the dough and sauce prepared, this pizza is fast – like faster than Domino’s 30 minute guarantee fast. So why would you ever order take-out or use a frozen pizza again? I plan to always keep some pizza dough in my fridge from now on. 

From Schulman’s Mediterranean Harvest

Pizza Dough for 2 pizzas – 12 to 14 inches each (1 1/2 to two hours)

• 1 package of active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 3/4 to 3 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt

Mix together the yeast, sugar, water and oil in a small bowl. Let sit for 2-3 minutes until the water is cloudy. Put 2 and 3/4 cup of flour and the salt in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse once or twice to mix, then with the machine running, pour in the yeast mixture. Process until the dough makes a ball around the blade. Remove dough from machine and knead on a lightly floured surface for a couple of minutes – add flour if necessary.

Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl – roll the dough around so it is oiled all over. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour. Then the dough should stretch when it is gently pulled. 

Divid the dough into two balls. Shape each ball by gently pulling down the sides of the dough and tucking the pulled piece under the bottom of the ball – work around the ball 4 or 5 times. Then, on a smooth, unfloured surface, roll the ball under your palm until the ball becomes smooth and firm – about 1 minute. Place the balls on a lightly oiled tray, cover with a damp towel, and rest for 15-20 minutes.

To make the pizza

Put a baking stone on the center rack of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.  You are going to use the lower rack to – to brown the bottom of the pizza, so make sure there is enough room for the pizza to fit between the middle and bottom racks. Oil the pizza pan if it is not non-stick. Dust pan with semolina (that’s corn meal).

Roll or press out one ball of dough. Place ball on lightly floured surface and press out with the heel of your hand or a rolling pin, lightly dusting with flour if dough gets to sticky. Press out to the size of the pan, then place the dough on the pan and pinch a rim around the edge of the circle to form a crust. Brush pizza, but not rim, with olive oil. Top with 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup sauce (here’s a recipe for marinara), cover the sauce with 6 slices of mozzarella, and top the cheese with toppings of your choice.  We did fresh tomato, garlic and green pepper for the first picture and artichoke heart and black olives for the second picture. Don’t smother the pizza with toppings, or it won’t cook evenly – this another key to a well-cooked homemade pizza.

Place the pizza pan on the baking stone. Bake for 12 minutes. Then pull out the lower rack of the oven and slide the pizza from the pan onto the lower rack. Bake for 1-3 minutes to brown the bottom of the crust. Slide the pizza onto the pizza peel, or pizza pan, and serve. Buon appetito!

The pizza dough balls can be prepared a couple of days ahead and stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.  Whole wheat flour can be substituted for 3/4 cup of the A-P flour.