You live with someone for half your life and just when you think you know everything about them: you can complete their sentences and predict their response to nearly any situation – they surprise you. And that’s somewhat refreshing when you get to this stage of the game For some reason I thought The Don abhorred cauliflower, in fact, in my mind I vaguely remember him telling me this one evening after dinner; vague being the key word I guess. But I was wrong! He raved about this colorful curry, exclaiming how he loved sweet potatoes (which I knew) AND cauliflower, and how I should make it more often! Who knew? Certainly not me.

So, thanks to my friend, Faith at Edible Mosaic,  not only was this fragrant and savory vegan meal a home run with the huz, but it satisfied my sudden craving for Indian curry. The Indian name for this dish is  Aloo Gobi Masala, and  the minute I saw it,  I made a mental note to buy cauliflower on my next grocery run. Because we love the orange tuber, and for more color and nutritional value, I substituted  sweet potatoes for the white potatoes in the original recipe. I also had a fantastic Madras Curry from Williams Sonoma and substituted that for garam masala and added more peas, because you can never have enough sweet peas in my book. Edible Mosaic holds a place in my Blogroll because Faith always inspires and amazes me with her creative, unpretentious recipes  - please take a moment to check out her site, I think you’ll love it too

Shown served with hummus and whole wheat pita.

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© Priscilla for She's Cookin' | from the heart, 2011. | Permalink | 21 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: cauliflower, easy, Meatless, Meatless Monday, Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Curry, sweet potatoes, vegan, vegetarian

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Lately, I’ve been posting recipes highlighting green beans, peppers, eggplant, and lettuce from our garden.  But what I was craving was some greens, like swiss chard – specifically, red chard, because of its beautiful color – very visually appealing with its shiny green ribbed leaves in colorful contrast to the brilliant red stems, I remembered my mother including it in Japanese sukiyaki.

We grew swiss chard in our garden when I was growing up and it’s readily available in most markets here in California – some areas, not so much.  Swiss chard is similar to spinach and beet greens with a flavor that is bitter, pungent and slightly salty.  Swiss chard, along with kale, mustard greens and collard greens, is one of several leafy green vegetables often referred to as “greens”. It is a tall leafy green vegetable with a thick, crunchy stalk that comes in white, red or yellow with wide fan-like green leaves. WHFoods pronounces it a vegetable valedictorian and one of the world’s most nutritional foods because it contains loads of Vitamin K, A, and C and other nutrients – plus, one cooked cup of chard has only 35 calories!

Here I’ve included it in a quick easy pasta dish that’s perfect for Meatless Monday or any day where you desire a light, healthy meal packed with fresh flavor. The chickpeas add a little crunch along with a dash of tart lemon and tangy feta cheese.

* Barilla Plus is a multigrain pasta that has 4 grams of fiber per 56g gram serving and is a good source of protein and Omega -3 from ground flaxseed. It’s appearance is similar to regular pasta, so may be more readily accepted by kids (and others) who may not find whole wheat or heartier brown pastas to their liking.

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© Priscilla for She's Cookin' | from the heart, 2010. | Permalink | 6 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: chickpeas, Meatless Monday, meatless recipes, pasta, Pasta with Red Chard and Chickpeas, red chard, vegetarian recipes

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Today, we have a Guest Blogger – actually bloggers – from southwest Florida – that got my attention because they are a Mother/Daughter team and their  beautiful farm-to-table tart, recently featured in the  Foodbuzz Top 9,  caught my eye. I’m a huge fan of rustic tarts that highlight seasonal veggies (Zucchini and Sundried Tomato Tart and Mushroom and Spinach Tart ) and recently judged the special Culinary Arts competition, The Art of the Tart,  at the Orange County Fair – so I’ve had tarts on the brain.  Gorgeous in its simplicity; direct from CC Recipes:

Rustic Cherry Tomato Ricotta Tart

This is one eye-catching tomato tart, that is truly super simple and looks like you spent hours making it. Made with a super easy tart dough, cherry tomatoes, ricotta and cream cheese, and a sprinkling of fresh basil leaves.

Ingredients:

For the dough:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
pinch of salt

7 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cut in cubes

1/2 cup heavy cream

For the Tart:

1 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced
2 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 cups fresh cherry tomatoes, washed and drained

1-2 Tbsp basil leaves

1 egg, beaten

Directions:

1. Add the flour and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Place the butter cubes around the flour and pulse until a crumbly mixture is formed.

2. Slowly add the cream while still pulsing the flour mixture, Keep adding the cream until the dough comes together into a bit of a ball.

3. Remove the dough from the food processor and move to a lightly floured surface. Gently knead the dough a few times until it is smooth.

4. Wrap up the dough with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (can stay in the refrigerator overnight).

5. Preheat the oven to 375F.

6. In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil and the garlic together; set aside. In a separate bowl, add the cream cheese, ricotta cheese, 1 teaspoon of the garlic olive oil (that you previously whisked together), salt and pepper, mix well. Toss the tomatoes with the remaining garlic olive oil.

7. Remove dough from the refrigerator and on a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch round.
Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet (if you line the baking sheet with parchment paper, it will be easier to transfer to a plate later).

8. Spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the bottom of the dough, leaving a 1 inch border. Top the ricotta mixture with the cherry tomatoes and basil leaves (I keep the basil leaves whole, but you could cut them if desired), spreading the tomatoes and basil out evenly still leaving a 1 inch border. Fold the edges/border over the filling, pleating the edges to make it fit, The center will be open. Brush the top of the pastry crust with the egg.

9. Bake for about an 30 – 45 minutes or until the shell is evenly browned. Let cool for 5 minutes, then slide the tart onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy

Thank you CC Recipes! From their About page: This is a blog created by mother Christine and daughter Camala (C and C) to share our favorite recipes, talk about food and baking, share pictures of the food we make and dish about anything we feel like.

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© Priscilla for She's Cookin' | from the heart, 2010. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: cherry tomatoes, Meatless Monday, ricotta cheese, tarts, vegetarian

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Along with the bumper crop of slender green beans – the particular variety, I’m not quite certain of; our garden has blessed us with a bounty of  beautiful purple and green peppers as well as Japanese eggplant and Chinese peas. It’s a veritable United Nations of vegetables growing in our backyard – just one of the pluses of growing your own vegetables – whether in pots on your patio or in a sliver of side yard, if you’re fortunate to have one in your slice of urban oasis.

So, I had a LOT of green peppers – and a colorful crunchy, summertime salad, like the one I posted last week,  would only require one pepper – I needed a dish that would use at least 6 peppers. I decided on stuffed peppers – don’t groan, this is NOT your mother’s stuffed peppers, or my mother’s – which I remember being somewhat thick-skinned and bitter tasting and smothered with stewed tomatoes, and would eat grudgingly.  Now, I know that charring and removing the skin of  peppers imparts a smoky flavor, removes any bitterness, and renders the peppers a soft, yet unctuous meatiness.

Grilled Peppers Stuffed with Herbed Basmati Rice

6 medium-sized green peppers

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup cooked basmati rice

8 oz. chopped pancetta (optional)*

1 garlic clove, minced

1 medium tomato, finely chopped

1/4 cup onions, finely chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried

8 oz. of prepared Arrabbiata sauce*

1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese, shredded

Serves 4

Heat gas grill to med-high or, if using a charcoal grill, prepare it for direct heat over hot coals.

Brush green peppers with olive oil, Grill whole, turning every 5 minutes until charred all over and very soft, about 10 minutesk. Remove from grill, put into a paper bag, folding down the top. This allows the green peppers to steam a bit and makes it easier to peel off the skin. When cool enough to handle, peel and discard the charred skin from the peppers and slit lengthwise to remove the seeds and core from the top. Lay the peppers on a paper towel to absorb any cooking liquid.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet. Cook the pancetta for 2 minutes, add the onion, garlic, tomato and cook over med-high heat, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4 minutes. If you’re using dried thyme, add the thyme during the last minute to release the flavors. Transfer to a bowl.Add one cup rice and the parsley to the pancetta mixture, combine the ingredients, season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cover the bottom of a 9×12 baking dish with a layer of arrabiata sauce. Gently mound a spoonful of the rice stuffing in the middle of each pepper and press the sides around the filling. Place in the baking dish, spoon additional sauce on top, cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil, sprinkle with parmesan cheese, and bake for another 5 minutes to melt the cheese.

* Can be eliminated for a satisfying and delicious vegetarian dish.

* I always like a little heat and used an Arrabbiatta sauce from Antonello’s Ristorante, but you may use Puttanesca or any spaghetti-type sauce that you prefer.

Shown served atop a bed of polenta (recipe to be posted).

Enjoy

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© Priscilla for She's Cookin' | from the heart, 2010. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Grilled Peppers Stuffed with Herbed Basmati Rice, Italian-style stuffed peppers, Main Dish, Meatless Monday, stuffed green peppers

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She’s Cookin’s  recipe for Eggplant Parmesan was chosen as a finalist in Zov’s (of Zov’s Bistro fame) eggplant recipe contest and the judging is today; so I’m busy making Eggplant Parmesan “My Way” just as soon as I finish this cup of java Over the years, I fine-tuned the preparation of this dish to make it less heavy and lower in calories without sacrificing the robust flavor and cheesy deliciousness.

Wish me luck If it wins, you’ll see Eggplant Parmesan “My Way” featured as a daily special at Zov’s Bistro in Tustin!

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© Priscilla for She's Cookin' | from the heart, 2010. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: eggplant parmesan, Meatless Monday, vegetarian, Zov's Bistro

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For Meatless Monday or any day of the week, here’s a quick and easy hummus recipe that I found in one of my stacks of Real Simple magazine. Of course, you can buy hummus at any store, but for the cost of a can of garbanzo beans (also known as chickpeas) you can make your own in 5 minutes — that’s right, 5 minutes! And, it’s worlds better! Because I prefer a little heat, I jazzed it up with a dash of cayenne and, for a Moroccan flair, a teaspoon of  Ras el Hanout, my current spice obsession from Awaken Savor spices.

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© Priscilla for She's Cookin' | from the heart, 2010. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: easy, Meatless, Meatless Monday, vegan, vegetarian

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