Who Else is Tired of Eating?

It starts at Thanksgiving and doesn't seem to let up until after the first of January: eating one after another big-complicated-guilt-inducing-stomach-enhancing meal and dessert. 

While it's hard to believe it, we're tired of it all--and it's not even New Year's! 

This doesn't mean that we don't crave tasty food, it's just we sick of the unhealthy holiday eating pattern we've been stuck in. So, we're really excited about the lunch we just concocted by scrounging around in the kitchen to use up leftovers from all our holiday entertaining.  

To make this great open faced sandwich: spread a tablespoon of chipotle hummus on a slice of toasted 100% whole wheat bread; use a mandolin to slice fine slivers of radishes and carrots; shave a slice of fresh sharp cheddar cheese off a block; top it off with chopped fresh tomatoes and lettuce. 

Healthy and easy to make it was more satisfying than any fancy dinner we've had all season!

What else would you add from your pantry?

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Pickled Watermelon Rinds

While shopping at the local farm market we were overcome by a sudden fit of preserve-making enthusiasm and bought a watermelon, an orange cauliflower, cucumbers, turnips, radishes, and carrots. Our first pickling victim was the watermelon. Once we mastered separating the tough outer skin from the rind, this recipe for pickled watermelon rinds was a snap to make.

The result was a gorgeous jar of preserves, where the infusion of star anise, ginger and spicy pink peppercorns added just the right set of flavors to make these watermelon pickles the star attraction of a mid-summer barbecue.

Pickled Watermelon Rind

This recipe is adapted from the Momofuku Cookbook

1 watermelon

4 star anise

2 cups rice wine vinegar

1 cup water

2 cups sugar

3 tablespoons kosher salt

2 knobs of fresh peeled ginger

2 tablespoons pink peppercorns

Slice the watermelon in half and peel off the outer skin. Cut the rind into 1” squares.

Bring the rest of the ingredients to a boil (stirring until sugar dissolves) and add the rind, continue cooking for one minute. Remove the mixture to an ice bath to stop the cooking. Place in container until fully cooled and refrigerate.

These little lovelies are ready to eat within an hour and will keep in the refrigerator for a week.

Stay tuned for the results from our other pickling experiments, and a yummy recipe for watermelon lemonade infused with rosemary simple.

Ebelskivers

We’ll be honest, we never heard of “Ebelskivers” before someone gave us a pan to cook them in. We experimented this morning and all we can say is “WOW”.

It was a little tricky to get the proportions right and to flip them in the pan but once we got the hang of it--amazing.

 We loved playing around with the filling–honey, peanut butter and jelly, raw honey, lemon curd, homemade plum jam.  They were wonderful, kind of like a cross between a pancake and a hot beignet.

Definitely worth a try.

Our Ebelskivers

Codfish with Farro, Roasted Tomatoes and Arugula

A remarkably simple, elegant and delicious choice for a healthy dinner.

Ingredients

Fresh Codfish

Cherry Tomatoes

Farro

Arugula

Fresh Thyme

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 450. 

In a shallow baking dish lined with parchment or wax paper place codfish. Drizzle olive oil across the top then season with salt and pepper and top with fresh thyme sprigs. In a separate small shallow dish place cherry tomatoes and put these in the oven at the same time as the cod. 

Bake for 10-12 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the cod, just until it is flaky. Check frequently. 

Meanwhile prepare the farro according to package instructions. Once cooked toss lightly with Tarragon Vinaigrette (recipe follows).

On the bottom of each serving plate heap a generous amount of arugula, top this with a serving of farro and on top of this place the cooked codfish. Surround with the cherry tomatoes. If you like you can drizzle a little more olive oil on top and scatter a few fresh thyme leaves.

Mustard Tarragon Vinaigrette

3 tblsp high quality extra virgin olive oil

1 tblsp aged sherry wine vinegar

1 tbsp minced tarragon

1 tsp dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

A Thought on Starbuck's New Line of Baked Goods

Aren’t these Starbuck’s cupcakes, pops and other treats cute?

Who wouldn’t be attracted to a smart little petit four at around that time in the afternoon?

Starbucks is stepping out with a new line of “minis” that they are giving away for free through Saturday P.M.—if you buy a drink, that is. (Wait, is that free or more like a gift with purchase?)

No matter. What we’re wondering about is how is that we see these as minis?

What’s the deal with portion sizing anyway?  Look at this piece from The Center for Science in the Public Interest contrasting recommended USDA serving sizes with the serving sizes that chain food and fast food restaurants sell.

Scary. Right?

It got us to thinking about what our expectations are when it comes to food and portion sizing. How is that we’ve become such a nation of gluttons? How is it that we’ve substituted quantity for quality?

Our favorite restaurant,  the special occasion place that’s too pricy for anything but a birthday or anniversary dinner, is owned by one of the best cooks in the world. For years, we’d go and friends would complain that the portions were small for the money. 

Huh? 

The food is local, fresh, fabulous and we always left satisfied—not stuffed, but happily sated.

Is more always better? No. Why do people complain in restaurants when their plates aren’t heaped high?

We believe super-sized servings have distorted our perspective on value–just because something is bigger doesn’t mean it’s better. It’s also distorted our perspective on what is a reasonable amount to eat at any meal.

Maybe now that they have to put the calorie count on their baked goods, Starbuck’s is finally wising up.  But, we want to know why they need to call these new confections “petite” or “mini”, because at roughly 200 calories a pop (sorry) they sound ‘right-sized’ to us

The Bs Coconut Tofu with Peanuts and Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients for Meatless Monday: Tofu, Peanuts, Curry, Coconut, Sweet Potatoes, Chinese Broccoli, Jasmine Rice. Yum.

We love tofu. We love curry. We love coconut milk. It doesn’t get better.

This recipe is simple to prepare, forgiving, and full of flavor. Tofu is a great choice for ‘meatless’ Monday: protein packed, easy to prepare, and a wonderful cypher for picking up the flavor of any great sauce or interesting seasoning. This dish served over coconut scented jasmine rice and accompanied by a flavor packed dark green leafy vegetable is addicting.


As far as the curry goes, we’re fans of Maesri brand, and have had good luck finding this at local Asian markets and on occasion at Whole Foods (you do remember the section in the book about the price savings and joys of shopping at Asian markets, right?). Coconut milk, again, we’re Whole Food fanatics and love their store brand organic, but are equally happy with Thai Kitchens or other high quality brands.

Start with the basic ingredients and add/subtract to please your palate. We’re spicy gals and love the heat the curry brings and are heavy handed. You may just want a hint of flavor. You may have a bit of a sweet tooth and want to jack up the brown sugar, your teeth may chatter just hearing the word cilantro, or you may be an addict. If you can find Thai basil, great, if not any garden variety basil will do. Skip the peanuts or double the amount. If you don’t have salted peanuts, crush the unsalted ones. Try carrots instead of sweet potatoes or add them to the sweet potatoes. If you can’t find brown jasmine rice, use white. …etc.etc.etc.

Our point? Cooking is a creative art. Have fun.

Tofu in Massaman Curry. Brown Jasmine Rice. Chinese Broccoli

Ingredients

1 package tofu (medium or firm) cut into 2″ cubes

1 can coconut milk

1/2 cup water

1 can ‘light’ coconut milk

1 tbslp peanut or safflower oil

2 tblsp brown sugar

1 tblsp soy sauce

2 sweet potatoes cubed and steamed until just tender

1/2 cup peanuts (salt free)

1/4 cup crushed salted peanuts

1-3 tablespoon massaman curry (to taste)

lime

cilantro

Thai basil

organic brown jasmine rice

1 bunch Chinese broccoli (or other similar dark green vegetbale)

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

salt to taste

In a deep heavy bottom pot heat the oil and add the curry. (The first time you make this go light on the curry, it’s spicy. Adjust it later to suit your taste.) Cook over medium high heat for two to three minutes, stirring constantly. Skim the cream off the coconut milk and add this to the curry paste, turn the heat to medium, and cook for another minute or so.  Add in the balance of the regular coconut milk, water, soy sauce and brown sugar and cook for five minutes over medium heat .  Taste for seasonings. Turn the heat to low, add in the cubed tofu and cook for twenty minutes. Finish by adding in the sweet potatoes and peanuts. Turn the heat up to medium low and cook for a few more minutes- until the flavors merge.

Serve this on coconut scented jasmine rice garnished with a squeeze of fresh lime juice, crushed salted peanuts, cilantro and Thai basil.

Coconut Scented Jasmine Rice

Follow the package directions but substitute light coconut milk for half the recommended liquid. For example, if the recipe calls for 1 cup of rice and 2 cups of water use 1 cup of water and 1 cup of light coconut milk.  (Depending on the amount of rice we’re making, if we have light coconut milk leftover we’ll toss it in with the regular coconut milk in the curry dish.)

Chinese Broccoli (or other dark green leafy vegetable)

Steam the vegetables and finish with salt and 1/2-1 tsp toasted sesame oil and a splash of soy sauce and salt to taste.

Consider making extra of this dish. It’s great for lunch the next day or will keep well for another meatless dinner later in the week.

Radish and Celery Salad with Mustard-Tarragon-Anchovy Vinaigrette

Last week, we found ourselves home alone, hungry and dying for a salad.  We opened the veggie bin and found only two things: celery and radishes. In the fridge was a mustard tarragon vinaigrette made a few days earlier. Hm. We rummaged the cupboard and pulled out homemade whole wheat bread crumbs and a tin of anchovies. We got to work.

In a jiffy, the mandoline turned out thin slices of radishes and thicker slices of celery. Several anchovy fillets got mashed into the leftover vinaigrette. In a serving bowl, we layered radishes onto celery and sprinkled on a generous handful of bread crumbs.

The cool crunchy ingredients topped by the slightly thick, warm to the senses, anchovy tarragon vinaigrette was divine. Whenever we create a new dish we ask this question: Is it good enough for the menu in our fantasy restaurant?

This one makes the cut.

Mustard Tarragon Vinaigrette

3 tblsp high quality extra virgin olive oil

1 tblsp aged sherry wine vinegar

1 tbsp minced tarragon

1 tsp dijon mustard

2-3 mashed anchovy fillets

salt and pepper to taste