We’re still at the tail end of heart month so this recipe is packed with heart healthy goodness in the form of kidney beans. Research has found that higher legume consumption was associated with a whopping 82% reduction in risk of heart attack. Beans are also a great source of protein and are a favourite of vegetarians instead of meat or fish. As a meat eater I love the variety so I use beans in some of my recipes as an added boost.
Serving Suggestion: I served these with spaghetti squash (check here for recipe) to replicate spaghetti meatballs but much better…I think.
RECIPE:
1 cup bulgur wheat
2 cups homemade veggie stock
2 cups cooked red kidney beans
1 large red onion – fine dice
2 garlic cloves – minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
2 organic eggs – beaten
1 cup Ener-G gluten free breadcrumbs or Italian breadcrumbs
1/4 cup cilantro – chopped
2 tbsp fresh marjoram – chopped
S&P to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Begin by cooking the bulgur in the veggie stock for about 20 minutes or until cooked. Taste it to make sure.
Preheat a medium saute pan on medium-low heat for 1 minute. Add olive oil and saute onion for 1 minute. Add garlic and spices and continue cooking for additional 3 minutes, stirring, until onions are cooked and translucent.
Remove onion mixture and set aside to cool.
Place cooked bulgur, onions & cooked beans in a large mixing bowl and add egg. With clean hands mix together along with the breadcrumbs and herbs.
Taste and season with S&P.
With wet hands roll each meatball to a golf ball size and lay on a foiled oven tray.
You can do this ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to eat. This will also help to firm them up.
When ready, preheat broiler and place tray under broiler to heat through and make crispy.
All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.
Valentine’s Day, The day of Love or something like that. I’m not a fan of this hallmark holiday to be honest but I get it. On the one hand I get that it’s the one special day to show the person you love just how much you love them but on the other hand, why does it have to happen every year? Only kiddin’, kinda. Kudos to the shops who capitalize on this day but that’s yet another reason why this holiday bugs me. What’s a Irishman to do? Suck it up is right! I may not buy into the gift giving but I’d better do something special or I’ll be in the dog house! You guys out there feel my pain don’t you?
Since Valentine’s Day has landed on a Sunday this year I thought I’d give you some brunch ideas (think brekkie in bed) and dinner ideas that will make anyone happy and feel special.
BRUNCH:
Spinach & Mushroom Frittata with Crispy Potatoes
Spinach is available all year round in SoCal but if you can’t find locally grown spinach in your area right now a great substitute would be kale or Swiss chard.
Pair with a mimosa and you’ll be in business!
Valentine’s Beet Soup
Beetroot is in full swing over here. This soup can be served warm or at room temp and it’s presentation is stunning.
Easy Peasy Oysters
Oysters in bed on Valentine’s Day, might be a bit messy but you catch my drift!
DINNER:
The key to dinner is to make delicious food that won’t be too filling. You don’t want your lady (or yourself) to be bloated after a heavy meal if you planning on gettin’ some. Am I right?
One word: Delicious! (Remember my advice–Don’t eat too much risotto!)
Here’s (one of my first) a video I did making a Seafood Provencal. Remember, you can substitute the veg for what’s in season and use tinned tomatoes if you can’t get cherry tomatoes this time of year.
Boxed chocolates ain’t got nuthin’ on these! Plus you have all day since it’s Sunday so go that extra mile. (How am I doing ladies?)
Of course I didn’t forget about the good stuff aka CHOCOLATE. I’m working in my kitchen today whipping up a healthy flourless chocolate cake recipe just for this special occasion so keep checking back all this week for that!
Cheers & Happy Hallmark!
All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.
Those of you who happen to live here in LA may know of the Real Food Daily organic vegan restaurant. Although I’m not a vegetarian I do try to incorporate a lot more of the veggie dishes in my everyday food. My missus being a veggie and me being the overly healthy Irish guy, we’re always on the lookout for good quality vegetarian places such as this. I’ve been going to RFD for the past 5 years or so and I really like their food. Some of our friends are nervous to try such healthy vegan food but there’s an abundance of soy meat dishes, or what I call fake meat, on the menu so I get my fix when we go. (I gotta be a good hubby and throw the girl a bone now and then, though having said that, I probably request going here more than she does…hmmm…) One of the things they do really well there are their soups, except their bowls kinda blow but that’s another post.
Ann Gentry, RFD’s owner, came out with a cookbook a couple of years back so this is one of her recipes that I slightly adapted. The use of quinoa here is brilliant. Quinoa is all over the shop these days and for good reason, esp. for vegetarians since it contains high quality protein. It’s the bomb diggity.
NOTE: I made this soup last night for dinner but I played around with it a little mainly due to not having all the ingredients in my house. So for my version I marked them in red below on the recipe. An for my own little touch I added some fresh kale that I had in my fridge. I removed the stalks and chopped those in place of the celery. I added the chopped leaves at the end a few minutes before serving.
RECIPE:
Makes a big o’ pot
3/4 cup quinoa (I used Inca Red)
1 tbsp canola oil (olive oil)
2 onions, finely chopped (1 1/2 onions)
3 carrots, peeled & finely diced (omitted)
3 celery stalks, finely diced (omitted, used 6 Kale stalks instead)
2 zucchini, diced
1/2 cup yellow corn kernels (1 ear of fresh corn) (1 can low-sodium since it’s not corn season)
1 red pepper, finely diced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
2 tsp sea salt
12 cups (3 quarts) vegetable broth(I used about 10 cups of 1/2 stock, 1/2 water)
1 (28 oz) can whole tomatoes
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Black pepper 6 Kale leaves – washed, stalks removed & chopped, leaves rolled & chopped
1 jalapeno – seeded, fine dice
DIRECTIONS:
Rinse the quinoa well in cold water then drain. Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add the quinoa and stir constantly for 10 minutes or until all the moisture evaporates and the quinoa crackles and becomes golden. You’ll be able to smell them toasting. Transfer quinoa to a bowl and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large heavy stockpot over medium high heat. Add onions, carrots and celery. Saute for 12 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add zucchini, corn, bell pepper, jalapeno, garlic and salt. Saute for 3 minutes longer or until vegetables begin to release their juices. Add stock, cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the toasted quinoa and simmer over medium low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the quinoa is tender. Squeeze the tomatoes into the soup and add the juices from the can, then stir in the cumin and coriander.
Simmer uncovered over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally or until the quinoa is tender. Stir in the cilantro and kale leaves and season to taste with pepper and more salt if needed.
Recipe Courtesy: The Real Food Daily Cookbook
All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.
On New years day you guys might remember I did a post about the southern tradition of eating black eyed peas & greens, which I used to make a delicious (if I say so myself) soup. When I’m making a soup using legumes (said in my best french accent, layguuuum) I’ll always use fresh as opposed to canned. I know the canned ones are easier and quicker but to be honest you can’t beat the fresh flavour of the packet peas.
My whole thought for making anything is about layering flavours on top of each other to make the best possible most flavourful dish. That starts with soaking and cooking the peas (in this case).
Follow the packet instructions to soak the peas for whatever length of time (usually overnight). When doing this I like to add some salt & a couple of bay leaves to the water to start getting some flavour in there. The next most important step is to boil them. Now, you can just cook them in boiling salted water but why not make it a bit more interesting?
Try putting in some carrots, onion, celery, bay leaf, peppercorns and even a bouquet garni if you want. I find the more effort you put into the early stages of cooking will vastly improve the end result. If you’re going to go to the trouble of cooking fresh legumes go that little step further to make them even more tasty.
Also, when the peas are cooked don’t just throw the cooking liquid away down the sink, oh noooooo. Drain the cooked peas into another pot and use that liquid as the broth for your soup. Look at that, a double whammy! You just cooked really flovourful legumes AND made some veggie broth in the process, which saved you money as well. Pretty nifty me thinks.
Right get cracking.
All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.
Alright guys, here we go again. New Years Eve…what to do? Does the thought of fighting the crowds out n about in the pubs and restaurants make you want to pull your fingernails out? (A little dramatic maybe, but you get the drift.) I definitely agree with you so (all in the name of research) I gathered some good friends to test out my theory of how much fun a dinner party can be. Believe you me, with the right people, some great home cooking and (lots of) great wine–great craic to be (and was) had! If you’re lucky enough to know someone with a wood burning pizza oven (obviously I’m just bragging ’cause I do, sorry) you can’t go wrong but if not, a great way to spend the evening is making fresh homemade pasta. Everyone can get involved and then come chow time the meal has special meaning, not to mention the taste of homemade pasta is superb.
Mound the flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board. If you don’t have one use a clean work surface. Make a well in the middle of the flour, add the eggs. Using a fork, beat together the eggs and begin to incorporate the flour starting with the inner rim of the well. As you incorporate the eggs, keep pushing the flour up to retain the well shape (do not worry if it looks messy). The dough will come together in a shaggy mass when about half of the flour is incorporated.
Start kneading the dough with both hands, primarily using the palms of your hands. Add more flour, in 1/2-cup increments, if the dough is too sticky. Once the dough comes together, remove it from the board and scrape up any left over dry bits. Lightly flour the board and continue kneading for 3 more minutes. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky. Continue to knead for another 3 minutes, remembering to dust your board with flour when necessary. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set aside for 20 minutes at room temperature. Roll and form as desired.
NOTE: Do not skip the kneading or resting portion of this recipe, they are essential for a light pasta.
The easiest way to roll out pasta dough is to get yourself the attachment with your electric mixer. You can, however buy a pasta roller that attaches to your work surface and will defo result in some good Popeye-arms!
The instructions that come with your pasta machine/attachment are very clear but briefly, you’ll roll the dough through the machine a few different times making the pasta thinner each time it passes through. Once you’ve reached the final thickness you have an option of making whatever type of pasta you want i.e,, Fettuccine, Linguine, Spaghetti, whatever.
If you haven’t ever made or, more importantly eaten homemade pasta (and I don’t mean the stuff that comes in the plastic container you find in the store) give this a go. There’s no comparison. Trust me, I’m Irish!
Well kids, here we are. Can’t believe it’s Christmas…………again.
The Missus and I just got back from a brilliant weekend back in Austin, Texas, sort of early Christmas if you will along with a big Texas piss up to celebrate my father-in-law’s 66th. All the in-laws were in attendance and I’m not sure there are enough words to describe all the madness. Or maybe there’s too many words…either way, we’ll keep it in the family as they say. Of course while there we had to hit up another famous barbecue joint, Stubb’s BBQ. The food wasn’t as killer as the Salt Lick but the ambiance was cool. It’s a huge live music scene but we only had time for some grub. Let me tell you, it’s true what they say about Austin being the ‘Live Music Capital’ as there’s live music ALL. THE. TIME. What a scene!
We hit up The Continental Club on a Saturday afternoon and the gaff was jointed! Live rockabilly & country music with dancers–great craic. Little known fact (just because it’s Christmas) I used to rock the cowboy boot look back in the day in Dublin–waaay before anyone else was rockin’ that look. (Cool? Debatable. I thought so. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.)
Anyway, it was another great trip to Austin, family and food-wise. Has anyone eaten at Guero’s on Congress? It’s a fun taco bar where they make their own corn tortillas fresh right there in front of you. On my last visit to Texas I saw fresh flour tortillas being whipped up and this time it was corn. Gotta love those fresh tortillas and now I get why Texans love tortillas. If only I had that recipe!
(Photos by Andrew Collins and orthogonalthought.com)
After eating my way through Austin it’s a good thing we booked a catering gig for today, Christmas Day, so I can work off my tortilla belly. I’m lookin’ forward to it actually. Christmas is all about family for me (and everyone else) and since all mine are back in the homeland I’m happy to work (with the Missus in tow of course). I’ve got quite the menu planned for this event–how does this sound: Brined Roast Heritage turkey with homemade gravy & cranberry relish, Balsamic-Agave Glazed Ham, Butternut Squash Soup, Twice Baked Sweet Pots and Smashed Roasted Mini Pots, Sauteed Green Beans with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Roast Seasonal Farmers’ Market Veg, Cornbread Muffins, Mixed Baby Greens with Shaved Fennel, Spiced Pumpkin Seeds, Goat’s Cheese and homemade vinaigrette. Whew. Let’s not forget dessert(s)!!
So that’s my day. We’ll celebrate on Saturday in true LA style by probably heading to the beach. Could be worse right?
I hope you guys all have a very Happy & Healthy Christmas!
There are a few dishes that are well known Irish dishes: bacon & cabbage, Irish stew and the old reliable potato (in any form). This soup has one of those staples and is probably one of the easiest soups to make. I had all the ingredients in my CSA box and I promise, making this soup with recently picked fresh ingredients makes it really delicious. The earthiness of the thyme works a treat here and if you’re still looking for a quick appetizer for Santa Day, look no further.
RECIPE: Makes about 4 cups
2 large leeks – whites only, sliced & rinsed (But keep the greens for your homemade stock)
2 white potatoes – peeled, chopped
1 tbsp thyme
1 quart low-sodium veg broth or even better, homemade stock
2 tbsp olive oil
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat soup pot on medium heat for 30 seconds. Add olive oil and leeks and saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add thyme and potatoes and combine with sauteed leeks.
Add broth and stir. Partially cover with lid. Bring to a boil and once boiling reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 20 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.
Puree in food processor in batches.
NOTE:Do not fill your blender above half way with hot liquid. Hot liquids expand when pureed so be careful. Place a kitchen towel on the lid when blending so you don’t burn yourself when the liquid expands.
All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible
Christmas, Christmas, Christmas….what to give this Christmas? In this economy many of us are scaling back on our spending, right?–but giving still feels good doesn’t it? A few years ago I started making homemade Christmas prezzies, which has been quite cool. Homemade = special, and who doesn’t like a special gift?
This year I haven’t quite decided what to do but if you need an idea try my homemade sugar-free cranberry orange relish. It’s really tasty and not expensive to make. Even my neighbors are jumping on the bandwagon and got a little fancy pants. They decided to make homemade hot sauce out of the chillies growing in their gardens. You’ve heard me talk about my lovely neighbours before: Erica & Chris, of our famous Urban Gardens series. It was a combined effort (even better I’d say) which was a lot of fun to document.
Adapted from Rick Bayless‘ recipe, let the homemade gift making begin:
A NOTE FROM CHRIS: We used a mixture of dried arbol chilies, and fresh and dried chilies from our Tabasco chili plants (like 1/3 each). Unlike in the recipe, we didn’t remove the seeds, but other than that we pretty much followed the recipe. In retrospect, maybe removing the seeds would have been a good idea. Oh, we made a huge batch of it, like 7x’s what was in the recipe.
Let it be up to you if you want to remove the seeds or not. The seeds are the hottest part of the chillies so you can discard them for a more mild batch or add a few or go all out as did Chris & Erica. This batch came out guns-a-blazin’ (not kidding guys, my head nearly exploded). That would be a good name for their hot sauce: Venice Guns a Blazin’ (funny enough that’s quite à propos).You can make larger batches like C & E did so you’ll have plenty for gifts.
NOTE / TIP / DON’T DO WHAT I DID (ONCE) For the love of God wear some gloves if you’re de-seeding the chillies but if you don’t, be careful not to touch your eyes and my advice, don’t go to the toilet unless you can go hands free. Tink about it. Be there done that, no be fun!
ORIGINAL RECIPE:
Makes about 1¾ cups
1¼ ounces (about 50 to 60 mixed-size) dried chiles de arbol*
1½ tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons shelled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
¼ teaspoon cumin seeds (or a generous ¼ teaspoon ground)
4 large allspice berries (or about 1/8 teaspoon ground)
2 cloves (or a big pinch ground)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 scant teaspoon salt
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
¾ cup cider vinegar
*NOTE FROM RICK:
Chiles de Àrbol are available in most Mexican markets. But if you can’t find them, a good sauce can be made with any small, dried hot pepper, like the Mexican chiles japoneses or the common little ones frequently labeled just “chile peppers” in the grocery store. For a milder hot sauce, replace ½ ounce of the chiles de àrbol with 2 chiles guajillos or 1 large California or New Mexico chile.
DIRECTIONS:
1. The chiles and seeds: Stem the chiles, then roll them between your thumb and fingers, pressing gently to loosen the seeds inside. Break in half, shake out as many seeds as possible, then place in a blender jar and blitz.
Heat an ungreased skillet over medium-low. Measure in the sesame seeds and stir for several minutes as they brown and pop; scoop into the blender jar and blitz. Add the pumpkin seeds to the skillet. When the first one pops, stir constantly for several minutes, until all are golden and have popped up into a round shape then blitz.
2. Blending the sauce: Pulverize the cumin, allspice and garlic cloves in a mortar or spice grinder, then add to the blender jar along with the oregano, salt, garlic and vinegar. Blend for several minutes, until the mixture is orange-red and feels quite smooth when a drop is rubbed between your fingers.
3. Straining and ripening the sauce: Combine all batches together, stir well. Strain through a medium-mesh sieve, working the solids back and forth and pressing them firmly; there will be a fair amount of chile seeds, skins, sesame hulls and other debris to discard, but be careful that there is no liquid trapped within them.
Stir in ¾ cup water, then pour into a bottle, cover and let stand for 24 hours before serving.
Stored in the refrigerator, it will last indefinitely—even getting better after several weeks. Or pour it into sterilized canning jars, seal and process in a water bath; store indefinitely at room temperature.
All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.
For the next week or so I’m going to be giving you guys some Christmasy recipes that are perfect for this time of year. A lot of the Christmas food I grew up eating is similar to the Thanksgiving food here as it seems the two holidays are very similar food-wise. You have all the usual suspects of turkey, ham, gravy, stuffing, spuds, veggies, cranberry sauce and whatever other family tradition you might have. With Thanksgiving done and dusted I’ve already made some great seasonal turkey recipes that are also interchangeable for the Crimbo, like my Persimmon & Couscous Stuffed Turkey or Rice n Herb Stuffed Turkey along with other seasonal bits n pieces like a delicious seasonal Persimmon Salad or Pumpkin Soup. I’ve got lots of ideas throughout the blog though I’m always on the lookout for some new variations of the old reliables and this green bean recipe is definitely a festive idea.
Although I’d love to take credit for this recipe…..I can’t because I saw it in Cooking Light Magazine. They used the dish as a salad but I’ve made it a few times now as a side dish at home. It’s not only delicious but the colours are vibrant and Christmasy yet most of all it’s also healthy.
Enjoy!
RECIPE:
Serves 8 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup)
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted and divided
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
16 large basil leaves (about 1/2 cup)
1 1/2 pounds haricots verts
3 tablespoons chopped ready-to-use sun-dried tomatoes
DIRECTIONS:
Heat oil and garlic in a small skillet over medium heat; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Combine garlic mixture, 1 tablespoon nuts, vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, pepper, and basil in a food processor; pulse until well combined.
Cook beans in boiling water 4 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. Rinse under cold water; drain. Place in a large bowl. Add basil mixture and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; toss to coat. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons nuts and tomatoes.
![[del.icio.us]](http://images.del.icio.us/static/img/delicious.small.gif){kind=small}
Comments rss
Trackback
FEELING SOCIAL?
FIND ME!