Monday, October 31, 2011

halloween stew!


i've made this stew for that last 3 halloweens. it's just delicious.
and so again.
           



1 lg onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
red bell pepper, chopped
1-2 teaspoons chili powder
1teaspoon cumin
1 lb tomatillos, quartered
1 lb tomatoes, chopped or 1 big can diced tomatoes
1 15oz can hominy
2 small pumpkins, or 1 big one
salt and pepper

cut the top off your pumpkin and remove all seeds and guts.  rub inside with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

first, sauté the onion for a few minutes, then add garlic, and pepper.  then add chili powder and cumin sauté for about 3 minutes.  add your tomatillos, tomatoes, and hominy with about 1/2 water and simmer until tomatillos are just beginning to soften, about 10 minutes. season.

stuff stew into prepared pumpkins and cover with pumpkin top.  bake at 350' for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until inner pumpkin flesh is soft.

Serve topped with cucumber avocado salsa.

cucumber avocado salsa

1 poblano chili pepper, roasted, skin removed, diced
1 small cucumber, diced
1 lg. avocado diced
juice of 1/2 lime

mix it all together!


and of course some toasted pumpkin seeds. with olive oil and cajun spice. yum!

love, heidi



spicy ginger carrot soup


threw together a tasty little spicy ginger carrot soup


hence the spice.

onion, chopped
garlic, minced
lots of ginger, grated
1 spicy red pepper- ours was really really spicy
2 large bunches of carrots, chopped
4 cups good veggie stock
1 can coconut milk
cilantro, chopped

sauté up the onion, garlic, ginger, and pepper until soft.  I added a dash of smoked paprika here for a little smokiness. add the chopped carrots stir and follow with the veggie broth. simmer until everything is nice and soft.  add the coconut milk and blend soup until smooth. season with salt and pepper.
top with cilantro.



curious about that pumpkin and grain? well that went into a power pumpkin loaf. more on that adventure later...

love, heidi



Tuesday, October 25, 2011

it's a chili post!

i say it's "a" chili post because i am currently on the hunt for a brilliant versatile chili. honestly I wasn't really sure i was going to consider this a "chili" recipe because the ingredients were not ingredients i would normally associate with being in a chili.  however, this IS a chili. without a doubt. i love that it has such a hearty "meaty" bite using only grains! i think it is wonderful.  I based this recipe off of a recipe from 101cookbooks, which i am in love with by the way, all of her recipes are so inventive yet basic at the same time and very adaptable to fit your diet and even the ingredients you have on hand.



1 very large onion, diced
1 shallot, diced
8 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil (of course)
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chipotle powder
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 serrano pepper, chopped
about 10 cups veggie broth
2 1/4 cups lentils, i used half brown lentils half red (or any combo)
2/3 cup bulgar
2/3 cup peral barley
2 cups soaked or cooked beans, i used a combo of black, pinto, white, and kidney.
salt and pepper

first, sauté the onion and shallot in oil until just beginning to brown.  add garlic and spices. cook for about 2 minutes till fragrant. add serrano, cook another minute.  add tomatoes 8 cups broth lentils, bulgar, barley, and beans. bring to a simmer.  cook for about an hour until everything is tender. taste and season as you like. pretty easy.

I topped it with some sour cream and chopped fresh tomato. red onion would be nice or green onions! 

also here are a few lovely photos ryan took of our fall garden today. it's coming along great!


the last of the tomatoes

                                                               Dinosaur kale

early leeks

 Lavendar

love, heidi












Saturday, October 15, 2011

sunsets and jam

last night was a gorgeous sunset in ballard.  it was a perfect fall day, clear and crisp.  i noticed the beautiful sky returning from buying a whole bunch of pomegranates from the market and had to get a better look.


and then i made some jam.
pomegranate jam.
i just had to buy some pomegranates.

honestly, i am not a big jam lover, but this tasted quite delicious even though i was a bit concerned about the consistency. i'm new to the whole pectin thing. well jam thing in general.

Here's what i did:
- about 4 cups pomegranate juice  (this took me a lot of pomegranates... and time... you could also just buy some pomegranate juice. i probably won't be foolish enough to spend 2 hours peeling and juicing again. of course, i don't have a juicer.. and my food processor died that day, so that didn't help.)
- seeds of one pomegranate
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 tablespoons agave
- 2 teaspoons pectin (dissolved in the agave)
- 2 teaspoons of calcium water (included with the pectin packet)

first bring the pomegranate juice, seeds, and lemon juice to a simmer. stir in sugar until dissolved. once at a boil again add the agave/ pectin and the calcium water. stir vigorously for 2 minutes with a steady boil. remove from heat and ladle into hot sterilized jars.  top with sterilized tops and screw bands the process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. done!

so 12 pomegranates and 4 hours later this is what i ended up with. tasty. and quite pretty if i do say so myself.



love, heidi


Friday, October 14, 2011

squash season!







morning farmer's market and the resulting bounty!


and, fall= squash so dinner was a roasted garlic and squash cassoulet with white beans and porcini mushrooms! 


simple, hearty, and delicious.
first i roasted the garlic and sautéed 2 onions in a cast iron pan until caramelized, deglazing with a splash of apple cider vinegar. then toss in the sliced porcinis and cook briefly.
combine the cubed squash, we used a delicata variety which has a edible skin, white beans, whole cloves of roasted garlic, onion/mushroom mixture, and 1/4 cup of veggie broth, white wine, or even beer which is what we had on hand, naturally.
 top with bread crumbs drizzle with olive oil and bake covered for about an hour at 375' until the squash is cooked through. brown for a few minutes uncovered. remove from the oven cool for around 10 minutes and top with chopped parsley!

love, heidi