Sour Cream and Chive Smashed Potatoes

Posted on November 18, 2011 by natalie

This Thanksgiving, every table will have mashed potatoes. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Truly; I love me some mashed potatoes. But are we just like everybody else? Are we ho-hum, same old dish as everyone else?

No, we are not! You and I, my friends, we are different. We demand something a little more for our tables. We want not simply to please, but to wow at Thanksgiving (and every other dinner, come to think of it). We want to redefine the classics to make them fresh and new. We want…sour cream and chive smashed potatoes!

These are creamy and tangy and yummy. They elevate themselves beyond the ordinary mashed potatoes (though you could do a mashed version of sour cream and chive potatoes). They add zing–yep, I said “zing”–to the Thanksgiving table. And they are anything but ordinary.

Earlier, I mentioned how my favorite Thanksgiving dish to prepare is cranberry sauce. Well, the smashed/mashed potatoes are my favorite Thanksgiving dish to eat, and these are by far the best version down the smashed/mashed path that I’ve had to date.

What’s your favorite Thanksgiving dish to eat? What’s the best smashed or mashed potatoes you’ve ever had?

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Cranberry Sauce

Posted on November 15, 2011 by natalie

As a foodie, Thanksgiving holds a special place in my heart. Fall foods, in general, are my favorite kinds: the warm spices, the comforting dishes, pumpkins and cranberries and soups. Yep, fall foods are the highlight of my year, and even though I’m not hosting Thanksgiving this year, I’m still excited about the cooking to be done.

Here’s where I have to confess: I’m not a huge fan of cranberry sauce. In fact, I usually eat about 3 spoonfuls a year, when it’s warm off the stove. After that, it’s not appealing to me. But I love making it. My first kitchen memories are of the night before Thanksgiving, when my mom would pull chairs up beside the stove and my sisters and I would crowd around while she made the sauce so that we could listen to the cranberries “pop.” Some years, we got a great symphony; others, they were silent.

So I still make cranberry sauce every year, though without guests, I usually end up giving it away to a friend. But just the act of standing over the stove, listening for the first “pop,” makes me feel like a kid again. Like everything is warm and simple. Like magic. Like Thanksgiving.

What’s your favorite Thanksgiving dish to prepare?

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Grilled Pears with Walnut Cream Cheese

Posted on November 7, 2011 by natalie

Cooler weather always makes me crave comfort food. I love sweet and warm fall foods that make you feel like you’ve just bundled up in flannel pajamas. And if that food also happens to be good for you? Well, what’s not to love?

That’s what this dish is: the crunch of the walnuts and silky cream cheese offer a savory contrast to the sweet of the pears. And grilling the pears adds a smoky undertone to the dish, too. This is so good that I couldn’t figure out where to categorize it: is this a dessert? a side dish? an appetizer? all of the above? However you eat it, it’ll feel like Baby Bear’s porridge: just right.

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Quinoa and Lentil Stew

Posted on October 18, 2011 by natalie

Weather’s turned, and I’m down with a cold. Like half of New  York, it seems. But that’s ok; I’ve got a warm, healthy and delicious stew to get me through it. Don’t let the pictures fool you: this stew is as tasty as it comes. Yes, it looks a little blah. (In person as well as in the pictures.) But boy, does it pack in the taste!

This stew is rich with flavor. The base flavors are, of course, the onion, garlic, and vegetable broth. But layer on top of that the more prominent nutty flavor of the quinoa and the rich flavor of the lentils, and you’ve got a stew able to stand on its own and fight back the cold drizzle and the cold germs. :)

 

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Coconut Milk Rice Pudding

Posted on October 10, 2011 by natalie

I know, I know. Slap me on the wrist; I have been a bad blogger. Between work and school and more work (I have two jobs, one in research and the other as a personal trainer), I’ve been doing 14-hour days and just haven’t had time to sit down and blog. So now I have a backlog of recipes that need to be posted..and no time to post them! Argh!

But I’m back now, so worry not. You’ll see more of me again now that my unscheduled break is over. And I wanted to start with this little gem. See, when your dear friend gets married and you spend a weekend in Boston enjoying all sorts of yummy Indian food (oh, yeah, there were some festivities, too…), you come home craving South Asian flavors. Cardamon, jasmine, coconut. Rich, delicious tones that sing on your palate.

And so I made this rice pudding. The coconut milk gives it an incredibly creamy texture and a sweet taste that’ll make seconds mandatory. Add to that the floral note of jasmine and the citrus taste of orange and cardamon, and you’ve got yourself a winner. This is my new comfort food, perfect for the fall evenings when I get home after a long day and just want to curl up with something filling, warm, and delicious.

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Salsa Verde

Posted on September 21, 2011 by natalie

 

This recipe is a little late, but there’s a good reason for it. I actually made this batch of salsa verde on the 11th, over a week ago, for the Big Game. That is, the game when my beloved Cowboys were going to show up at the MetLife Stadium and show the Jets who’s boss.

I should’ve known better than to make green food on the day we were going up against the Jets. And football fans will understand when I say that I didn’t post this before because I didn’t want to relive the 4th quarter of that game. Sigh.

But I knew that eventually I had to share it. After all, like pico de gallo, this is a classic and very simple dish. A dish that’s a great addition to nachos or quesadillas or burritos or just as a snack dip with chips. A dish that’s perfect for this time of year, when you’re looking to munch while watching football or baseball. Or new episodes of Glee. Whatever floats your boat.

And yet, despite how great salsa verde is, and how familiar it is to anyone who’s ever been to a Mexican restaurant, I’m always surprised by the number of people who don’t have the foggiest idea how to make it. It’s so easy, and so delicious that I promise if you make it once, you’ll want to make it every week.

As with other salsas, salsa verde is cooked. And some people will boil their tomatillos to make salsa verde. That’s ok; we’ll let them continue to make that mistake. But you and me? We want amazing salsa verde, full of levels of flavor and a slight smokiness. So we’ll broil our tomatillos until the skin is slightly charred, and we’ll bring that blackened goodness into the salsa so that it adds to the flavor profile.

One final note: I use serrano chilies in my salsa verde, which are spicier than jalapenos. The number of chilies you use will depend on the level of heat that you want: one for medium, two for hot. If you want it mild, use one (or even half) seeded pepper. (You’ll notice I don’t seed my peppers; I like mine spicy. Plus, as has already been established, I’m lazy.)

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Cucumber and Cream Cheese Cole Slaw

Posted on September 18, 2011 by natalie

I’ve had a very busy couple of weeks: the day after Labor Day, I started both my new job and a new semester. Needless to say, the past thirteen days have been a crazy whirlwind of running around. So it’s been even more important than ever for me to have easy and quick foods to make that take up a minimum amount of time while maximizing taste and nutrition.

This non-traditional take on cole slaw did just that: I made a big batch of it last week and have eaten it by itself, stuffed in pita bread, and as a bagel sandwich. All of those options were delicious (the bagel sandwich was my favorite). And by subbing cream cheese for the mayonnaise in the slaw, we’ve got a slightly healthier variation.

And while we’re talking substitutions, let me make one thing clear: I have nothing against cabbage. I actually like it quite a bit (particularly in Ethiopian dishes). But I wanted something where every bit would be packed with nutrients, and the truth is that the veggies I’ve substituted are more nutrient-dense than cabbage. And besides, if you’re going to overturn a recipe, why not go all out, right?

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Posted in gluten free, lacto, salad, side dish | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Spinach & Lentil Wraps

Posted on September 16, 2011 by natalie

Since I was talking about great training food with you last week, I thought I’d share another of my favorites that’s good both for runners and athletes in training as well as for couch potatoes just looking for something yummy and healthy to eat.

The origin of this recipe actually goes back to 2006, when I began my first marathon training. Going from sedentary to marathon isn’t an easy feat, but one thing I noticed was that my body started craving different foods. Healthier foods. Foods that sustained me through marathon training and a job that regularly had me pulling 12 hour days and 6 day workweeks. Luckily for me, the office where I did that job was right above what is possibly the world’s best grocery store. And that grocery store carried a ready-to-heat or ready-to-eat spinach and lentil wrap that was to die for.

Flash forward six summers and I decided to make the wraps myself. It wasn’t hard, and I did a pretty fair job of it. (From what I can remember; I haven’t had them in a while because they always seem to be out of stock when I make it down to Brooklyn. Guess the secret’s out!) Regardless of how close these are in taste to the originals, these turned out finger-lickin’. The sweetness of the spinach, the nutty whole grain tortilla, and of course–the star of the show–the warm taste of the lentils. I didn’t do a lot to flavor these, instead letting the flavors of those three ingredients play with each other. Even the lemon juice isn’t very prevalent here, which is good. (For why I almost always add lemon juice to spinach dishes, check out what my nutritionist told me about greens and citrus.)

These wraps are not only packed with flavor and filling, they’re also healthy: you’ve got complex carbs from the multigrain tortillas, green goodness from the spinach, and protein from the lentils. Plus, they make a great meal when you’re on the run. (Sorry; couldn’t resist that pun!)

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S’mores Truffles

Posted on September 13, 2011 by natalie

Ok, I know I promised to put away the junk food as my training kicks up a notch, but really, how could I not finish perfecting the truffles I’ve been working on all summer? How could I leave you without one more S’mores-inspired recipe? That would not have been fair at all, so I decided to sacrifice for you, my dear readers, just for you. It was difficult, but I managed to power through the tremendous effort it took me to make this batch of S’mores Truffles. ;)

Yep, you read that right: S’mores Truffles! This is the grown-up version of the campfire favorite, a sophisticated nod to nostalgia that will leave you smiling and ready to sing Kumbayah. Or Hallelujah. Deep, deep chocolate flavor with a sweet marshmallow piece hiding in the center. And, of course, the crunch of crumbled graham crackers on the outside. Oh, yes, dear readers, it was a trial for me to make these, but for you, I prevailed.

One thing I want to note, since this is a vegetarian site: if you are not a vegetarian but are making these for someone who is, do not buy regular marshmallows at the store. A lot of non-vegetarians (and, actually, a few vegetarians) are surprised that marshmallows are not usually vegetarian, but sadly they aren’t because they contain gelatin. Instead, you can buy vegetarian marshmallows (which are usually labeled as “vegan” because they’re that, too) at most grocery stores, though it might be in a separate (refrigerated) area. If all that sounds overwhelming, I know that Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s carry vegan marshmallows. Just ask if you don’t see them!

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Posted in chocolate, dessert, gluten free, vegan | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

No recipe today.

Posted on September 11, 2011 by natalie

Because sometimes even comfort food isn’t enough.

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