Susan's Cooking Blog

Not Your Usual Baked Beans

Susan — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 19:41:00 GMT

An easy dish for a BBQ, camping, or a potluck is baked beans. However, most recipes call for molasses or other sugars and tons of salt. Here's an easy, very healthy alternative I first heard about in the discussion forums of Dr. Joel Fuhrman's website. It was created by a member there, Barb (who also writes a great blog about healthy eating ).

The key to the sweetness of these beans is soaking them and cooking them in carrot juice.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb of navy beans
1 onion, chopped (sweet ones like Videlia or Texas would be good here)
4 cups fresh carrot juice (more or less, see method)

Method:

Pick over and rinse the beans. Put them in a crockpot or slow cooker. Top with diced onions.

Pour carrot juice in to cover the beans plus one inch.

Cover and soak overnight. In the morning, cook on high in the slow cooker for 4 hours, then turn down to low for another 4 hours. If you need to leave the house, you could also cook them on low the whole time.

These smell and taste like baked beans, but have no salt, no sugar, and no additives.

For a less sweet version, you can substitute no salt vegetable broth for half the carrot juice. Barb says these are great with parsnips cooked in with them. I'll have to try that.

Kitchen Chalkboard

Susan — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 00:21:00 GMT

I just moved into a new (for me) house and finally have the right place to put a kitchen chalkboard. I tend to have too many lists going on at the same time and wanted a place to consolidate them. So far I love it!

I placed a custom order with Piazza Pisano . Hand crafted, hand carved, cute and serviceable. What more could you want? The company was great to deal with, the board was very reasonably priced, and my order arrived before they said it would. Excellent service and follow-up.

Al Pisano is the craftsman. See Al make another of his creations below:

Vegan Kohlrabi au Gratin

Susan — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 19:56:00 GMT

Kohlrabi is a versatile vegetable. It can be baked, added to stir fries, soups and stews. It's also easy to grow. The common type found in most grocery stores is green:

Although the purple ones are pretty if you find them.

This dish is a nice side dish that can be made ahead and reheated.

Vegan Kohlrabi au Gratin

Ingredients:
2 medium size kohlrabi bulbs, peeled, halved, and sliced approx. 1/4 inch thick
1 cup unsweetened soymilk
1/4 cup raw unsalted cashews
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 TBSP lemon juice (or more to taste)
dash of freshly ground nutmeg
2 TBSP fresh thyme leaves, plus a few small sprigs for garnish if desired

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Put soymilk, cashews, mustard, lemon juice in a high speed blender and blend until smooth.
Arrange half the kohlrabi slices in the bottom of a baking dish.

Pour half the sauce over the slices, then add a 1/2 dash of nutmeg plus half the fresh thyme leaves.

Add the rest of the kohlrabi, sauce, nutmeg and thyme.
Cover and bake at 350 for approx. 45 min., until cooked through but not mushy. Remove cover and cook for an additional 10 min to lightly brown the top.

Remove from oven and let sit 10 min before serving.

This dish holds well on a buffet table and has a nice presentation when garnished with fresh thyme sprigs.

Beets and Beet Greens

Susan — Sat, 01 May 2010 14:12:00 GMT

On busy weeknights I often have something simple for dinner. And it is hard to get much simpler than this.

I love beets (or beetroot if you're from over the pond). When I shop, I try to find beets with their greens still attached. Beet greens are quick cooking, tasty, and pretty too.

I steam the well washed greens briefly:

On the weekend I roast beets then rinse and slip the skins off. Dinner can be as simple as a plate of beet greens, topped with beets.

Drizzled with a little balsamic vinegar. Add some freshly ground pepper. I love this combination.

Followed by a bowl of soup, this is a great weeknight dinner.

Strawberries Have Arrived

Susan — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 01:12:00 GMT

I was delighted to see beautifully ripe organic strawberries in the market yesterday. I've missed them.

Wanting to give them front row center today, I served them atop a fresh Spring greens mix for lunch today. Drizzled with a clear sweet/sour dressing comprised of only raspberry vinegar and pomegranate concentrate. Sprinkles of raw unhulled sesame seeds.

A toast to Spring in Northern California.

Marinara Magnifica

Susan — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 00:45:00 GMT

There's nothing like a great homemade Marinara sauce that's been cooked for hours.

I base my recipe on this one from Cooking Light magazine.

It is rich tasting and complex when cooked for the full 3 hours. I make a few changes to the recipe, though. Here's the original recipe from Cooking Light with my changes in brackets.

Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil (I leave this out and dry or water saute onions instead
6 cups chopped onion (about 3 medium)
1 tablespoon sugar (I substitute 1 TBSP date syrup)
1/2 cup dry red wine (you can leave this out, but it is better with)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (I leave this out)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
(I add 1 fresh bouquet garni... see Preparation notes)
1 teaspoon salt (I leave this out)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
6 garlic cloves, crushed
2 (24 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes, undrained
2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
2 (6-ounce) cans tomato paste

Preparation

Heat oil (or dry saute) in a Dutch oven over medium heat; add onion and sugar (date syrup). Cook 30 minutes or until golden, stirring occasionally. Stir in wine; cook 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

I think that a bouquet garni adds to the sauce:

In this case it has: fresh parsley stems, fresh thyme sprigs and a couple of bay leaves. (Read about Bouquet Garni here.)

Great sauce. Sometimes I leave the garlic cloves whole in the sauce. It gives a slightly milder sauce for some dishes. Also good is adding a lot of smaller dice mushrooms after you've cooked the onions down partially. By the time the mushrooms cook down over 3 hours, they add a great 'meaty' texture.

A Simple Supper

Susan — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 22:45:00 GMT

Eating a healthy and tasty dinner doesn't have to be complicated. Dinner a few nights ago started with a Spring greens salad:

which was followed by this:

Mashed sweet potato surrounded by grilled and roasted vegetables: grilled onions, grilled oyster mushrooms, fennel roasted with balsamic, with some mushroom gravy.

Easy simple supper.

Roasted Fennel

Susan — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 02:10:00 GMT

I love fennel. It can be eaten raw in salads or slaws or cooked in any number of ways, but my favorite is roasted.

This is an easy easy recipe! Two ingredients: fresh fennel bulbs and a good balsamic vinegar.

Here I cut two bulbs of fennel in half, cut each half into thirds, then put the pieces in a ceramic dish, and drizzled balsamic over all.

I roasted at 400 F. for about 45 minutes (turning a couple of times), then reduced the temperature to 350 F., covered the dish with tinfoil, and contined to bake for another 15 minutes or so. Some people like their fennel a bit crunchy so might want to bake it for less time. I like mine quite soft. It turns out beautifully:

It looks quite browned but much of that is the balsamic glaze. This is a very simple delicious side dish.

Raw Brownies and Not Ice Cream

Susan — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 18:11:00 GMT

If you're looking for ideas for healthy desserts, this one is easy. The raw brownies can be made in a food processor. The "ice cream" requires a high speed blender.

Raw Brownies

Ingredients:
1 cup pitted dates
1 cup raw unalted pecans (or walnuts)
1/4 cup raw cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla

Put all ingredients in a food processor and proces until it comes together. Press into a glass or ceramic dish.

Pecan Not Ice Cream

Ingredients:
3 peeled bananas, cut in thirds, frozen for at least 24 hours
1/2 cup raw unsalted pecans
1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk (or unsweetened soy milk)
1 tsp vanilla

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender. If not using right away, store in a container in freezer.

Fruit Salad

Susan — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 20:44:00 GMT

I like to brighten up Winter menus with fresh fruit salads or even a combo of fresh and frozen fruits. Here are some recent ones:

#1 Papaya, mango, raspberries, blueberries and banana. All fresh.

#2 Oranges, mango, pears, blueberries, banana, frozen strawberries.

#3 Pears, papaya, blueberries, banana, frozen dark sweet cherries.

#4 A salad of chopped baby spinach topped with leftover fruit salad.

#5 Strawberry "Fluff" made from pureed white beans, frozen strawberries, unsweetened soymilk and vanilla, topped with raspberries and blueberries.

Have you had your fresh fruit serving today?

Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Susan — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 01:04:00 GMT

I'm a real pomegranate lover and I eat a lot of salads so discovering a delicious salad dressing with pomegranate as its base is a big winner in my books. And I think I've done it! My friend Anne from Dr. Fuhrman's member forum mentioned to me that she'd been making a salad dressing using pomegranate juice and I had one of those "I should've had a V-8" smack your forehead moments.

I couldn't think of any other kitchen project until I'd experimented. This is a great salad dressing, particularly with a Spring greens type lettuce mixture that has a little bite (like some baby arugula, endive, or frisee).

Susan's Pomegranate Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
- 8 fluid ounces 100% pure pomegranate juice (no sugar or additives)
- 1/8 cup good balsamic (start with less and add to taste)
- 2 TBSP pomegranate molasses/concentrate (100% pomegranate, no sugar added, cooked down to a syrupy texture. You can buy this in Mediterranean stores or some Whole Foods carry it.)*
- 1/2 cup mixture of chopped parsley, 1 raw garlic clove, 2 scallions, chopped finely
- 2-3 TBSP tahini (depending on how creamy you want it; you could use unhulled sesame seeds)

Blend everything except the parsley mixture in a high-speed blender until it is smooth. Add the parsley mixture and just pulse a bit to incorporate it but not liquefy it.

I'm in love with this salad dressing!

*If you can't find the pomegranate molasses you can make a facsimile by cooking a cup of pure pomegranate juice down until it I very concentrated.

Gazpacho, but Juiced

Susan — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 01:06:00 GMT

For the inaugural run of the new Breville juicer, I made something plebeian: celery and carrot juiced to make a broth to simmer a Channa dal dish.

I branched out on day 2 with what turned out to be a great combination:

I adapted it from the recipe that came with the juicer: carrot, celery, roma tomatoes, English cucumber (could use those little Persian ones), parsley, onion, red bell pepper, fresh garlic.

Juiced Gazpacho for lunch. I loved it. Next time I'll add some spinach.

The Changing of the Guard

Susan — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 21:34:00 GMT

I've had an ancient and somewhat ineffective juicer for ages and finally decided to replace it with a Breville. I wanted the Green Star too (for its ability to juice greens more effectively), but the budget doesn't allow that. I decided I'd buy the Breville Fountain Elite with its two speeds, which will do a great job on vegetables and fruits plus it will juice greens (just not as effectively as the Green Star). I bought mine at Bed Bath and Beyond (with a 20% off coupon).

I don't know about you, but I've got finite kitchen counter real estate. So if something arrives and wants to reside on the counter... something has to say Adios!

So I'd like to say a fond kitchen counter farewell to my stand mixer:

You have been lovely to look at and met every challenge with grace. But I don't use you but once every 6 months (maybe). You have a great dough hook but I only bake bread about once or twice a year. I don't do any traditional baking, so I'm not mixing things that require you. I don't whip egg whites. I don't whip cream. Therefore, you must take up residence in the garage with the other seldom used things (as pretty as you are).

Welcome to the counter I say to Ms. Juice Fountain Elite.

May we live long and prosper.

Happy New Year

Susan — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 17:32:00 GMT

Wishing everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year!

If you've vowed to improve your diet in 2010, this post is for you. Eating more healthily doesn't have to be complicated but it can require that you change your thinking about food. Consider this approach to eating:

It can be quite simple. Base your diet on fruits, vegetables, beans/legumes, with some whole grains and nuts. Limit all animal products, oils, processed foods, and sweets.

This food pyramid was created by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, who is also the author of many books related to nutrition, diet, and health.

Reading one of his books, Eat to Live, changed my life. By adopting his suggested eating approach, I lost 25 lbs almost effortlessly.

If you're ready to be inspired to change your eating habits, I highly recommend reading Eat to Live. Dr. Fuhrman's scientific approach to nutrient-density makes a lot of sense. The book includes a beginning six week plan including recipes.

Since then, Dr. Fuhrman has also published a two book set, Eat for Health, that offers a more gradual way to change your eating habits, including a four phase approach with lots of recipes.

Many have found his phased approach to changing cooking and eating habits is an excellent way to move their diets from the standard American diet which is full of fat and cholesterol, and often devoid of nutrition to a more healthful approach which promotes well being and weight loss.

Chocolate Breakfast Smoothie

Susan — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 17:53:00 GMT

A tasty, healthy, smoothie with chocolate made in the Vita-Mix to start your day off right:

1 apple, cored and quartered
1 small tangerine, peeled
1 cup frozen papaya chunks
1 cup frozen dark sweet pitted cherries
2 TBSP raw cocoa powder
1/2 cup water
3-4 oz baby spinach or kale (added after the fruit is blended a bit to allow room)

Blend the fruit, cocoa powder and water using the tamper at a lower speed at first. When there's room, turn off the machine, then add the greens, then blend on high until smooth.

Now this is my idea of a chocolate "milkshake". Delicious!

A happy, healthy holiday to all.

The Great Orange Juice Scam

Susan — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 14:40:00 GMT

When you see a label on orange juice that says "100% Pure Juice" or "Not from Concentrate" do you assume it is an entirely natural product? Not so for most commerical orange juice.

Presents

Susan — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 03:23:00 GMT

If you're buying presents for someone who truly loves to cook, I might have some suggestions. This post comes with a warning, though. Don't buy kitchen stuff for anyone who doesn't LOVE cooking. Make sure your intended likes receiving kitchen stuff (like me) or is someone who has some dire need like setting up his or her first abode... and even then I would tread with care.

Some ideas are pricey... some are stocking-stuffer priced. So, in no particular order, some kitchen things I'd want as presents if I didn't already have them.

The top 'o the line blender extraordinaire: a Vita-Mix (www.vitamix.com). I'm not sure you can still get one delivered in time, but heck, even the promise of one might be welcome. I use mine at least once a day. Price tag: $400-$800.
The best slow cooker I've ever owned - the big All-Clad Stainless Steel. It's souped up with a cast iron insert that can go on the stovetop to sauté in before slipping it back into its very attractive stainless steel home. Available at Williams-Sonoma and probably other places too. I love mine. Price tag: $300-$500 depending on sales and discounts etc. Try www.chefscatalog.com too. They often have good prices.
A fresh nutmeg mill that also houses whole nutmegs well. Fabulous idea. Works well. Looks cute. Price tag: $30. Available at Sur La Table and probably other places.
A simple but ingenious garlic peeler. Why would one want one? If I'm going to chop garlic, I usually just whack it with a knife, take the peel off and chop. But if I want to use whole intact cloves to impart a more delicate flavor to a dish (as in garlic mashed potatoes), this peels the cloves beautifully. Price tag: $9

I'm thinking of buying myself a new electric pressure cooker for Christmas this year. My pressure cooker was ancient and scary so it had to go.

Wild Rice Mushroom & Lentil Timbales

Susan — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:45:00 GMT

Another dish that was extremely well received at my Thanksgiving dinner was the Wild Rice Mushroom & Lentil Timbales. These were excellent! Quite easy to prepare too.

Click here to see the recipe on Susan V's blog for Wild Rice Mushroom & Lentil Timbales.

You do have to plan ahead to make this dish, unless you routinely happen to have already cooked wild rice and lentils on hand. But that's the only tricky part about the recipe. Otherwise, they are quite easy to put together in the food processor.

You take a couple of large slices of bread (whole wheat is great), pulse to crumbs, then add mushrooms, tofu, garlic and sherry (if you're using it), then pulse until smooth. The lentils, tomato paste, and herbs are pulsed next, before you turn the mixture out into a bowl and stir in the cooked wild rice.

They are cooked in ramekins placed in a water bath. I loved their texture. Creamy with a slight chewiness of the wild rice. I served them with mushroom gravy on the side.

They can be made somewhat ahead and then just reheated in their water bath. I really enjoyed them and will certainly make them again.

Double-Layer Vegan Pumpkin Cheesecake

Susan — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:24:00 GMT

I attempted a dessert for Thanksgiving dinner. I don't usually bake since I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but I knew my guests would enjoy a cheesecake if it turned out. I had a backup plan in case it failed, but I'm happy to say I didn't need to invoke it.

The recipe I tried is from Susan V's blog, Fat Free Vegan. Well, except in this case, while it is a vegan dessert, it wasn't fat free. Let's say it was lower fat.

Click here to see the recipe for Double-Pumpkin Cheesecake on Susan's blog.

So, it's a winner! My guests enjoyed it and they aren't vegetarian or vegan, so that tells you how good it is!

I hope everyone who was celebrating had a great Thanksgiving. I know I did.

Eggplant, Chickpea, Tomato, & Pomegranate Molasses

Susan — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:21:00 GMT

Yesterday I posted about a Middle Eastern salad using roasted eggplant purée topped with tomatoes, scallions, and fresh pomegranate seeds. (Click here to see that recipe.)

Today's recipe is an entrée from the same great cookbook, Arabesque, A Taste of Morocco, Turkey, & Lebanon, by Claudia Roden.

The success of this dish is hinged on using pomegranate molasses, which can be found in Middle Eastern grocery stores and some specialty grocers' shelves too. If you can't find it, you can make a credible imitation by simply taking pomegranate juice and cooking it down to a molasses-like consistency. You can add sugar or not as you see fit. Click here to see recipe for pomegranate molasses. It uses sugar, but you could minimize it or leave it out.

Moussaka'a Menazzaleh
Eggplants with Tomatoes and Chickpeas

Ingredients:
2 eggplants
extra virgin olive oil (you can substitute a quick spray of oil)
salt (to taste)
2 to 3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 lb tomatoes, skinned and chopped (good canned ones would be absolutely fine, drained by reserving liquid)
2 tsp sugar (or sweetener of your choice or you could leave it out)
black pepper
1.5 TBSP pomegranate molasses
2 cups of cooked chickpeas (cooked from scratch if you have the time; they have a better texture than canned, but canned would be just fine)
2 TBSP minced fresh flat-leaf parsley.

Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and then into 1/2 inch slices. Brush them with oil (or a light spray) sprinkle with salt if using, then broil them under the broiler for 15 minutes or cook them on a hot griddle, turning them over once. They do not need to fully cooked because they're going to cook further in the sauce. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, either heat the garlic in olive oil or use spray or water sauté briefly until it just starts to color. Add tomatoes and squash them gently with a wooden spoon in the sauce. Add sugar, salt and black pepper then cook for 15 minutes. Add some of the tomato liquid if it gets too dry. Add the pomegranate molasses, eggplant slices and chickpeas and simmer for another 20-30 minutes or until eggplants are very soft. Garnish with chopped parsley to serve.

This can be served hot as an entrée or side dish or cold as a salad. It has a very nice delicate sweet and sour taste.