Carrot Ginger Soup and Sesame Dressed Salad

The soup is quick and easy.. and vegan. The salad ended up being kind of elegant in its simplicity by virtue of using a few things that I jsut happened to have on hand (hard boiled eggs, raw broccoli sticks.) Of course, it too could be vegan without the egg (although I personally love the flavor combination of egg and sesame). This made a nice, light dinner on a hot, steamy evening.

Carrot Ginger Soup

1 carton of Imagine No-Chicken broth
7-8 carrots, peeled and sliced
1/2 medium white onion, chopped
1 1/2 T grated fresh ginger (I grate a frozen piece of ginger, it's easier to handle and it dissolves as soon as it is heated.)
salt, white pepper & freshly grated nutmeg to taste
2 T sunflower oil

Heat oil in the bottom of a dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent. Add ginger and stir to dissolve, about 1 minute. Add broth and carrots and cook, covered, for about 20 minutes. Transfer soup to blender and puree until smooth. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.

Makes 4 servings

Salad
2 c herb salad, or other baby greens, mix
1/4 c Trader Joe's broccoli slaw (this is basically just raw broccoli and carrots cut into shoelace-size sticks)
2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced
1 T black sesame seeds

Dressing
3 T rice wine vinegar
1 T sesame oil
1 T tamari
pinch of sugar

Combine all ingredients in a jar and shake. Drizzle onto salad.

Makes 2 servings

Coffeecake Muffins

Woke up the other morning craving a cinnamon bun, but since I can't be bothered with yeasts, and doughs that need time to rise and be rolled out, I decided to make some nutty, cinnamony quick muffins instead. These were made pretty much to the letter according to a recipe in Bittman's How to Cook Everything, which, with the exception of pancakes, has been an indispensable resource in this house.

Recipe to come...

Cauliflower Au Gratin

I've never made an au gratin before, and though we tend to avoid dairy I thought I could lighten it up a bit. This was laborious as all get-out... when am I going to learn that Bechamel sauces and sauces like this one that require constant tending on the stovetop do not mesh well with a toddler in need of constant entertainment! I omitted additional butter that the original recipe called for, and I used 2% milk instead of whole. It still sank my battleship. In a good way. In a good, but in small doses because I have to wear a bathing suit in less than a month kind of way.

Cauliflower Gratin
Adapted from Ina Garten

1 (3-pound) head cauliflower, cut into large florets
1 t salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups hot milk
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
3/4 cup freshly grated Gruyere, divided (I used Emmetaller instead)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (I used romano instead)
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs (I used not fresh instead)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cook the cauliflower florets in a large pot of boiling salted water for 5 to 6 minutes, until tender but still firm. Drain.

Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Pour the hot milk into the butter-flour mixture and stir until it comes to a boil. Boil, whisking constantly, for 1 minute, or until thickened. Off the heat, add 1 teaspoon of salt, the pepper, nutmeg, 1/2 cup of the Gruyere, and the Parmesan.

Pour 1/3 of the sauce on the bottom of an 8 by 11 by 2-inch baking dish. Place the drained cauliflower on top and then spread the rest of the sauce evenly on top. Combine the bread crumbs with the remaining 1/4 cup of Gruyere and sprinkle on top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is browned. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Chateau Guiraud-Cheval-Blanc 2006

A dark horse of a little Bordeaux that was more appealing days 2 and 3 after opening and with a bowl of oil-cured olives.

Pear Cardamom Bread

Ingredients

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• 1 2/3 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar (scant)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 1/2 cups chopped peeled pears (1-2)
• 1/2 cup sunflower oil
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 eggs

topping

• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F; grease bottom of loaf pan. Combine all wet ingredients in one bowl and all dry ingredients in another. Then combine all ingredients, except topping, into one bowl. Pour into loaf pan. Mix topping ingredients and sprinkle on top. Bake 55 minutes.

Yummy Reisling

2007 Ayler Kupp Rielsing Spatlese

Enjoyed this Reisling with the Two Peas Curry mentioned below. A delicious match! Sweet and light. Well balanced.

Two Pea Curry with Garam Masala Roasted Carrots

Garam Masala Roasted Carrots

4 carrots, peeled
1/4 c olive oil
2 T Garam Masala

Slice carrots lengthwise into 4 thin strips. Toss with olive oil and spices and spread out on a caking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes or until brown in a 400 degree oven.


Easy Two Pea Curry

2 cardamom pods
1 t turmeric
1 T fresh ginger*
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 t mustard seed
1/2 t cumin
5 T sunflower oil
1/4 c chopped onion
1 c frozen (thawed) green peas
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/4 c diced tomatoes (and juice from the can)
1 c fresh baby spinach leaves

Gring mustard seed and cardamom in a mortar with pestle. Add oil to large pan on medium heat. Add spices, garlic and ginger. Saute until fragrant. Add onion. Saute until translucent. Add peas, chickpeas. Saute 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and reserved juice from can. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Just before removing from heat, add spinach and stir it through the curry until it wilts but remains bright green.

*My trick with ginger is to keep it frozen and then cut it with a vegetable peeler. The strips dissolve in the hot oil without having to mince them with a knife.