Orzo with Roasted Vegetables

Got this from a friend in our ward (Rochell Bryan). I've used eggplant instead of asparagus and omitted the pine nuts to cut costs and it was still good.

1 bundlle asparagus, 1 inch pieces
1 acorn squash, peeled and 3/4 inch diced
1 red bell pepper, 1 inch diced
1 yellow bell pepper, 1 inch diced
1 red onion, peeled and 1 inch diced

*eggplant, butternut squash or mushrooms would be good too

2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup good olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 pound orzo

FOR THE DRESSING
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2-3 lemons)
1/3 cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

TO ASSEMBLE
4 scallions, minced (white and green parts)
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
3/4 pound good feta, crumbled
15 fresh basil leaves, cut into chiffonade

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Toss the asparagus, squash, bell peppers, onion, and garlic with the olive oil, salt and pepper and turn out onto a large baking sheet. Roast for 40 minutes, until browned, turning once with a spatula.

Meanwhile, cook the orzo in boiling salted water for 6-8 minutes, until al dente. Drain (don't rinse) and transfer to a large serving bowl.

Add the roasted vegetables to the pasta, scraping all the liquid and seasonings from the roasting pan into the pasta bowl.

For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and pour on the pasta and vegetables. Mix well and let cool to room temperature. Right before serving add the scallions, pine nuts, feta, and basil and check seasonings. Left-overs are awesome.

Falafel Sandwiches and co.

FALAFEL SANDWICH

Cafe Flora

1 1/2 cups dreid chickpeas, soaked for 3 to 8 hours, or 2 (15-ounce) cans (3 1/2 cups cooked)

1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped

2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped

6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)

1 tablespoon salt

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup unseasoned bread crumbs

1/3 cup whole wheat or all-purpose white flour

8 pitas, flat or pocket style

Vegetable oil for frying falafel (I use grapeseed)

Shredded lettuce, tomato slices, alfalfa sprouts, radishes and cucumber slices

Tahini Sauce (see below)

cook the chickpeas

If you're using dried chickpeas, drain them, and cover with fresh water in a pot. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and cook, covered, at a gentle simmer until the chickpeas are very tender, 1 hour or more (depending on how dry (and old) the beans were). A chickpea should smash easily between your thumb and index finger. Drain the chickpeas, and cool completely.

chop the vegetables

Put the onion, celery, and garlic in a food processor, and pulse several times until they are very finely chopped. (Pulsing minces the vegetables but prevents them from becoming pureed.) Put them into a large mixing bowl.

chop the chickpeas

Put the cooled chickpeas in the food processor, and pulse several times, until they're broken up. Then, run the food processor until the chickpeas are very finely chopped. (You use this two-step process to get an even consistency.) Put the chickpeas in the large bowl with the vegetables, and mix well.

add the remaining ingredients

Mix in the lemon juice, turmeric, cumin, cayenne, salt and parsley to the chickpea vegetable mixture. Sprinkle the bread crumbs and flour over all, and mix thoroughly with your hands.

shape the falafel

Using 2 tablespoons of the chickpea mixture, shape it into balls. It should hold together easily. Gently flatten the balls with your fingertips into patties about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Smooth out the jagged edges to they don't break off when you cook them. Lay them on an ungreased baking sheet until you're ready to fry them.

test fry a falafel first

Pour oil into a heavy pot to a depth of 2 inches. (Make sure the pot is at least 4 inches tall to reduce spattering.) When the oil reaches 350 to 360 degrees, gently drop sample falafel into the hot oil. It should sizzle a lot and cook fast. Only cook a few at a time so that temperature of the oil doesn't drop.

note

I make the falafel mixture a day ahead and usually double the recipe. Delish!

TAHINI SAUCE

Cafe Flora

1/2 cup tahini

1 teaspoon tamari

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

1/2 cup water

Combine all the ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth. If it's too thick, just dribble in more water until you get the consistency you want.

TZATZIKI

1/2 cucumber

1/4 teaspoon salt

10 mint leaves

1 small garlic clove, minced

whole milk (Greek) yogurt

pepper, to taste

Grate the cucumber, salt and drain juice. Wash and dry the mint leaves. Stack them, roll them up and mince them. Mix all the ingredients together, season generously adding yogurt gradually until you get the flavor you want.

Buckwheat Pancakes

Blender Buckwheat pancakes

1 cup whole buckwheat groats

¾ cup water

1 ½ Tb coconut oil

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp salt

1 tsp honey

1 ½ tsp baking powder



Soak the buckwheat grouts overnight. Using a strainer, rinse well and drain in the morning. Add drained groats to blender all ingredients except the baking powder. Blend until smooth. Add baking powder and blend well. serves 2 **I recommend doubling or tripling the recipe**


Note: Soaking overnight increases the overall digestibility of the buckwheat by starting the germination process, allowing nutrients to be more readily absorbed during digestion. All whole grains contain phytic acid, an enzyme inhibitor, that binds to the minerals and proteins in grain. Consumption of unsoaked grains can lead to poor absorption of the nutrients in the grain, and the undigested proteins can irritate the intestines. In addition, the phytic acid binds to minerals in the intestinal tract such as calcium and zinc, leading to a net loss in minerals in the body.



Buckwheat pancakes



3 cups buckwheat flour

3 cups Buttermilk



Soak in warm place overnight

Add

3 eggs lightly beaten

¾ tsp sea salt

1 ½ tsp soda

2 Tb melted butter

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp vanilla

1Tb honey



Mix well and pour out to make pancakes. I ½ this recipe and it was plenty.

Chickpea and Roasted Yam Wrap with Tahini Sauce

From Cafe Flora

A definite keeper. Roasted the yams, cooked the chickpeas, made the Tahini Sauce and the Sweet Chili Sauce days ahead of time. I put the chickpea-yam mixture on all the tortillas but then had all the veggies and cheese set out on the table so people could put what they wanted on it. Made the final preparation pretty quick.

1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (which I couldn't find)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 cup dried chickpeas (cooked in the usual dried-bean fashion), or 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas

2 bay leaves

1 large (12- to 14-oz) yam, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 Tblsp olive oil

1 tsp chili powder

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

salt

1 Tbsp tamari

1 Tbsp mirin (couldn't find this either)

4 (12-inch or wrapsize) spinach or sun-dried tomato flour tortillas

1/2 cup Tahini Sauce (recipe follows)

2 cups mixed salad greens, or chopped romaine lettuce

Additional chopped raw vegetables (cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, green bell peppers)

feta cheese (optional but I'd recommend it)

Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce (recipe follows)

GET READY. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toast the fenugreek and cumin seeds together in a hot skillet until fragrant, stirring a few times.

COOK THE CHICKPEAS. If you're using dried chickpeas, drain them, and put them in a pot along with the bay leaves, cumin seed, and fenugreek. Cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer until the chickpeas are very tender, about 1 hour.

If you're using canned chickpeas, rinse them under cold water, and drain well. Add the toasted cumin, fenugreek seeds, bay leaves, and two cups of water. Simmer for 20 minutes to infuse the canned chickpeas with flavor.

PREPARE THE YAM. Spread the yam pieces on a rimmed baking sheet large enough to accommodate them in a single layer without crowding. (If you crowd the pieces, you will steam rather than roast them.) Roast until the yam is very tender but not mushy, about 30 minutes. Set aside.

DRAIN THE CHICKPEAS. Discard the bay leaves (if you're using them). Drain the chickpeas in a mesh strainer (keeping the cumin and fenugreek seed with the chickpeas), reserving about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.

MASH THE CHICKPEAS. Put the cooked chickpeas, tamari, mirin, and 2 Tbsp of cooking liquid in a food processor. Pulse several times until the chickpeas are coarsely broken, and the mixture holds together slightly in a crumbly mash. If the mixture doesn't hold together, add 1 Tbsp of cooking liquid or water at a time until it does.

ADD THE YAM TO THE CHICKPEAS. Gently fold the roasted yam into the chickpeas; you don't want to turn the yam to mush. Add salt to taste.

WARM A TORTILLA in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 10 to 15 seconds. Flip it over, and warm the other side for 5 to 10 seconds. Repeat for the remaining tortillas as you build the wraps.

BUILD THE WRAP. Lay the tortilla flat on a work surface, and spread with 2 Tbsp of Tahini Sauce, leaving a 2-inch border all around.

Put 2/3 cup of the chickpea-yammixture in the center of the wrap, and spread it over the sauce. (If you're planning to add a lot of chopped vegetables, cut this mixture back so you can still roll the wrap.)

Top this with 1/2 cup salad greens, spreading them to cover the chickpea-yam mixture. (If you're adding veggie chunks, this would be the time to do it).

ROLL THE WRAP. Fold the sides of the wrap in towards the filling. Roll the tortilla starting with the end closest to you, keeping the sides folded in. Build the 3 remaining tortillas, and roll them as described here.

SERVE THE WRAPS. Using a very sharp knife, cut each wrap in half at an angle. Serve the Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce in 4 small bowls for dipping.

TAHINI SAUCE

You can make this up to several days ahead of time.

1/2 cup tahini

1 tsp tamari

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp rice vinegar

1/2 cup water

Combine all the ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth. If it's too thick, just dribble in more water until you get the consistency you want.

SWEET CHILI DIPPING SAUCE

Scott and the missionaries loved this. Keeps in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup rice vinegar

2 cups water

Combine all the ingredients in a small pan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, and cool completely.

Eating at the Neuners

A friend asked me for a sample weekly menu and I had been meaning to put some up here so I thought I'd hit two birds with one stone. These are all wintery dishes but they're all tried and true. I made some Amish baked oatmeal bars this week for the first time but feel I need to tweak the recipe a bit more before "publishing." I'm also making Yam and Chickpea Wraps (Cafe Flora) for the missionaries on Monday; they won't know what hit them. If it's good I'll put it up too.

And I don't want anyone to think that I make Pumpkin Enchiladas every week. We mix up fancy pants dinners with things like omelets, quesadillas with black bean stew and guacamole, cheese toast and smoothie, and the always popular ... German Pancakes.

Happy eating!

Spaghetti with Broccoli

Silver Spoon

One of my favorite quick recipes.

1 lb 2 oz frozen broccoli

3 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp butter

1 onion, chopped

4 Tbsp heavy cream

12 oz spaghetti

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

salt and pepper

Parboil the broccoli in salted water for 10 minutes. Heat the oil and butter in a skillet, add the onion and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until softened. Drain the broccoli, add to the skillet and mix well. Stir in the cream and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and process to a puree. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a large pan of salted, boiling water until al dente, then drain, toss with the broccoli and cream mixture, sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve.

Yam and Cheese Sandwich with Pumpkin Seed Pesto

Cafe Flora

A favorite. Making me hungry just thinking about these sandwiches.

You can make the Pumpkin Seed Pesto as much as several days ahead, and roast the yams the day before.

1 large yam (about 1 lb), peeled and sliced in rounds, about 1/8 inch thick

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp pimenton (Spanish smoked paprika)

salt and freshly ground pepper

1 medium onion, sliced in rounds about 1/4 inch thick

4 sticcola rolls, or other chewy rolls or buns with a tender crust

Pumpkin Seed Pesto (recipe follows)

4 slices fontina or provolone cheese

sweet hot mustard, Dijon, or your favorite mustard

A couple handfuls spinach leaves

GET READY. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the yam in a bowl with 1 Tbsp of the olive oil and pimenton. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss again.

ROAST THE YAM. Spread the yam slices on a rimmed baking sheet large enough to accommodate them in a single layer without crowding. (If you crowd the yams, you will steam rather than roast them.) Roast until tender, but not mushy, so that a sharp knife easily pierces the yam slices, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, and set aside. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

BROWN TEH ONION. Heat the remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil in a wide, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the onion in a single layer, trying to keep the slices intact. Cook undisturbed until on side is browned, about 5 minutes.

Flip the onion rounds over - it's OK if they falls apart at this point - and continue to cook. Flip the onion occasionally until it's tender and browned evenly all over, about 5 minutes more.

TOAST THE BREAD. Slice the rolls in half, and lay them, cut sides up, on a baking sheet. Bake until lightly toasted, 2 or 3 minutes.

MAKE THE SANDWICHES. Spread each of the 8 halves right to the edges with 1 or 2 Tblsp of Pumpkin Seed Pesto. Layer 4 halves (the bottom halves) with 5 or 6 slices of roasted yam, one-fourth of the onion, and finish with a slice of cheese.

BAKE THE SANDWICH HALVES. Put all 8 sandwich halves on a lightly oiled baking sheet (or on a sheet of parchment paper), and bake until the cheese melts, about 5 minutes.

SERVE THE SANDWICHES. Remove the sandwich halves from the oven. Spread the top halves with sweet hot mustard. Top the bottom halves with spinach leaves, put the sandwich together, and eat!

PUMPKIN SEED PESTO

1/2 cup raw green pumpkin seeds, hulled

salt

6 to 8 large fresh sage leaves, roughly chopped (about 3 Tbsp)

1/2 cup fresh parsley sprigs, roughly chopped

1 tsp chopped garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

freshly ground pepper

TOAST THE PUMPKIN SEEDS by tossing them in a dry saute pan over high heat until they start to pop. Add salt to taste, and set aside to cool.

MIX ALL THE INGREDIENTS. Put the pumpkin seeds, sage, parsley, and garlic in a food processor. Pulse several times until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With the machine running, add the olive oil through the feed tube, processing until the mixture is chunky (like chunky peanut butter). Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Note: If you can find toasted pumpkin seeds (or pepitas), use those and skip the roasting instructions.