Cook-with-what-you-have Nicoise Salad
Search Results for: cooking beans
Cook-with-what-you-have Nicoise Salad
I take the idea of Salade Nicoise and adapt it all summer long, i.e. take fresh and/or cooked vegetables, good Oregon Albacore (usually canned), and hardboiled eggs, drizzled with an herby and/or creamy dressing, as a complete, fabulous dinner. You can also skip the tuna as it's fabulous without too.
Quantities can be adapted to suit your needs and can be varied in all ways. You just want enough dressing for everything so scale that up if you’re using more vegetables.... Read more »
Summer Simplicity and Frenzy
Faux deviled eggs (plain boiled eggs topped with aioli), boiled new potatoes and beet and avocado salad. Herbs, hardboiled eggs, salads, fresh fruit, bread, cheese. . . .zucchini and green beans starting to come out of my ears. . . .It’s a good time of year for cooking (or assembling) with what you have. And as much as I love to cook I don’t really want to be at the stove much (other than making jam and baking pies and...... Read more »
Radicchio & Mizuna Risotto
A handful of rice per person, a smaller pot than you might think, and yes, more stirring than I typically do. . . these are a few of the tips I learned when cooking with long-time friend and Chef Cathy Whims (Nostrana, Oven & Shaker, Hamlet) this week. I thought it would be fun to cook with a pro whom I admire. I wanted to see what we might create together or what my pantry’s contents would inspire in someone...... Read more »
No More Clumping Cheese: The Carbonara Principle for Mac 'n Cheese
...clove of minced garlic some fresh herbs 1 lb pasta You whisk everything but the pasta together in a bowl. Cook the pasta in plenty of well-salted water. Scoop out about 1/3 -2/3 cup cooking water just before you drain pasta. Put the pasta back in the pot. Add the egg mixture to the pasta along with 1/3 cup (to start) of the hot cooking water and stir like mad for a few seconds. Add more cooking water if...... Read more »
A Salad Made with What I Had & Big News
This space has been very quiet for many months as I’ve been working on a deep but carefully curated subscription-based, online Seasonal Recipe Collection. This project grew out of years of developing recipes for CSA farms and their members and teaching cooking classes, all with the philosophy of: fresh produce + well-stocked pantry + a little confidence and creativity = cooking more, eating well and spending less money on last minute trips to the store, take-out, etc. I hope you’ll...... Read more »
Don't Do What I Do . . .
...course fresh, newly purchased vegetables make wonderful slaws too so no need to wait until the wilt sets in but don’t forget that slaw idea if time takes its toll! Less waste, more creativity, fewer rules. . . . are a few of the principles that get my going. However, I also know that the fun of this kind of cooking, i.e. using recipes as a template or loose guide, often comes with experience and years of experimentation and comes...... Read more »
Crepes
...Slow Food (even though we are NOT about cooking or eating slowly!) you’d think I’d ease up a bit and appreciate and savor meals more. The other problem with dinner is that by the time we sit down to eat, I’m already half full. I taste the food I make as I prepare it and I emphasize this almost more than anything else in the classes I teach. So with all that tasting and with my usually being really hungry...... Read more »
Small wins? Big wins? One and the same?
... Cooking continues to bring me joy and I am interested in how cooking is working for you these days. Can you bring fresh eyes to it? I’ve been in bit of a creative slump but yesterday popped out of it with a fabulous adaptation of jambalaya that was full of vegetables (and a little meat) including a whole savoy cabbage (recipe coming soon). Ah, the little things that make me smile! The other great joy I have is...... Read more »
Eggs Poached in Tomato Sauce, Organic Ag, Raj Patel, etc.
...complications. Having coincidentally tuned into a debate on npr on my way to the airport the other night (to pick up another worthy-of-following food figure Bryant Terry) about whether organic food is just marketing hype, I was particularly interested to look at the study Raj discusses and its massive amounts of data. Subscribing to Raj’s blog has been a welcome addition to my more strictly food/cooking blogs (with the exceptions of Michael Ruhlman who regularly interjects food system/policy related rants...... Read more »
A Little Prep, A Lot of Freedom + Nicoise Salad
...make a vinaigrette, toast some seeds and cook beans and then come dinner time, things come together with minimal effort. Take the classic Nicoise Salad: to make it all at once is straightforward but it does involve cooking 3 different things (eggs, potatoes, beans), making a dressing, etc. However, with the vinaigrette already done and the potatoes and eggs already cooked, it’s pretty effortless. This idea of prepping a handful of building blocks is about really cooking by using...... Read more »
Summer at the Beach and a new Technique
...detailed instructions. The subject of recipe writing and how much detail to give warrants a whole post but in short, I would like to think that with some dishes, describing the process with approximate quantities give the cook more freedom and license to use whatever he/she has on hand and to taste and experiment along the way. Cooking can be very fun this way and in my quest to get people cooking more often, it’s an important part of demystifying...... Read more »
Time Well Spent & Salade Nicoise
...days she’d have a lentil soup simmering away while we were heading off to school. So the idea of getting a jump-start on dinner in the morning has often been part of my routine too. These days I’ve been hard boiling eggs and cooking potatoes and green beans in the morning so that I can throw together a Nicoise Salad in a few minutes at night. The warmer weather has inspired more cold suppers and one of my favorites is...... Read more »
Teaching & Wellness Programs
Wellness Programs & Teaching Simple tricks and a bit of confidence can turn into new habits that get you hooked on fresh produce and the joy of cooking it. If your workplace has a Wellness Program and is interested in cooking classes, demonstrations or presentations there is more information here or get in touch. Would you like a fun, educational team building activity for your team? Cooking and eating together and learning new skills and habits can be an...... Read more »
About
...tools or ingredients to nourish yourself and your loved ones everyday. Cooking has begun to be described as a radical, even revolutionary act by the likes of Michael Pollan and other food system pundits. It is certainly an empowering, self sustaining and healing act and one that brings us closer to our families, our ancestors, our neighbors, as well as our soil, water, flora and fauna. I want to celebrate and elevate these connections. With years of cooking in...... Read more »
Pasta Primavera--in Mid-Summer, Yes!
...tons of veg) something my kid will devour. Happy cooking, stay cool and I’ll be back with a salad soon! Pasta Primavera Variations vary the quantity of vegetables to suit your needs–I like a high ratio of veg to pasta double the cream sauce if you want a saucier, richer dish–this amount just coats everything and highlights the veg add diced, cooked chicken Serves 4-6 Sauce 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons flour 1 1/3 cups...... Read more »
Yellow Peas and Rice with Onion Relish
...world-wide. Indian and Italian preparations are serving me particularly well, but so are Mexican and French ones. So the fact that we grow such a huge variety of peas and beans in the U.S. that I can then prepare based on hundreds of years of cooking wisdom from far-flung places, climates and cultures is a joy. While I did not intend to post two recipes back to back with the same colors and almost the same spice-scheme, I hope you’ll...... Read more »
Kids in the Kitchen?
Cons: mess (especially when they’re younger) things take longer less adult control uneven results power struggles/fights Pros: fun new skills (for everyone!) time with your kid away from screens kids have great ideas less adult control kids really like eating the food they make more thank you’s when I cook My teenage son has been cooking dinner once a week for almost a year now. When he turned 13 we asked him to take on this new duty....... Read more »
Even when you think you can't . . .
...the pasta. When the timer goes off, add the broccoli to the pasta and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes or until both pasta and broccoli are tender. Scoop out save 1/2 cup of hot, starchy pasty cooking water and then drain everything well and put in a serving dish with the cheese, the reserved cooking water a good splash of olive oil and black and hot pepper. Mix well and taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and/or oil....... Read more »
Simple Italian Lentil and Rice Stew
...this and that’s why it’s such a winner for when all you have is your pantry–which hopefully always contain rice and lentils. Either short or long-grain brown rice would work too though you would increase the cooking time for the rice a bit. Parsley grows almost year-round here in Western Oregon so this is truly a pantry meal in our household. You could probably substitute dried oregano and/or thyme and add a bay leaf to the broth when you’re cooking...... Read more »
Summer Simplicity and Frenzy
Faux deviled eggs (plain boiled eggs topped with aioli), boiled new potatoes and beet and avocado salad. Herbs, hardboiled eggs, salads, fresh fruit, bread, cheese. . . .zucchini and green beans starting to come out of my ears. . . .It’s a good time of year for cooking (or assembling) with what you have. And as much as I love to cook I don’t really want to be at the stove much (other than making jam and baking pies and…
Radicchio & Mizuna Risotto
A handful of rice per person, a smaller pot than you might think, and yes, more stirring than I typically do. . . these are a few of the tips I learned when cooking with long-time friend and Chef Cathy Whims (Nostrana, Oven & Shaker, Hamlet) this week. I thought it would be fun to cook with a pro whom I admire. I wanted to see what we might create together or what my pantry’s contents would inspire in someone…
No More Clumping Cheese: The Carbonara Principle for Mac ‘n Cheese
…clove of minced garlic some fresh herbs 1 lb pasta You whisk everything but the pasta together in a bowl. Cook the pasta in plenty of well-salted water. Scoop out about 1/3 -2/3 cup cooking water just before you drain pasta. Put the pasta back in the pot. Add the egg mixture to the pasta along with 1/3 cup (to start) of the hot cooking water and stir like mad for a few seconds. Add more cooking water if…
A Salad Made with What I Had & Big News
This space has been very quiet for many months as I’ve been working on a deep but carefully curated subscription-based, online Seasonal Recipe Collection. This project grew out of years of developing recipes for CSA farms and their members and teaching cooking classes, all with the philosophy of: fresh produce + well-stocked pantry + a little confidence and creativity = cooking more, eating well and spending less money on last minute trips to the store, take-out, etc. I hope you’ll…
Don’t Do What I Do . . .
…course fresh, newly purchased vegetables make wonderful slaws too so no need to wait until the wilt sets in but don’t forget that slaw idea if time takes its toll! Less waste, more creativity, fewer rules. . . . are a few of the principles that get my going. However, I also know that the fun of this kind of cooking, i.e. using recipes as a template or loose guide, often comes with experience and years of experimentation and comes…
Crepes
…Slow Food (even though we are NOT about cooking or eating slowly!) you’d think I’d ease up a bit and appreciate and savor meals more. The other problem with dinner is that by the time we sit down to eat, I’m already half full. I taste the food I make as I prepare it and I emphasize this almost more than anything else in the classes I teach. So with all that tasting and with my usually being really hungry…
Small wins? Big wins? One and the same?
… Cooking continues to bring me joy and I am interested in how cooking is working for you these days. Can you bring fresh eyes to it? I’ve been in bit of a creative slump but yesterday popped out of it with a fabulous adaptation of jambalaya that was full of vegetables (and a little meat) including a whole savoy cabbage (recipe coming soon). Ah, the little things that make me smile! The other great joy I have is…
Eggs Poached in Tomato Sauce, Organic Ag, Raj Patel, etc.
…complications. Having coincidentally tuned into a debate on npr on my way to the airport the other night (to pick up another worthy-of-following food figure Bryant Terry) about whether organic food is just marketing hype, I was particularly interested to look at the study Raj discusses and its massive amounts of data. Subscribing to Raj’s blog has been a welcome addition to my more strictly food/cooking blogs (with the exceptions of Michael Ruhlman who regularly interjects food system/policy related rants…
A Little Prep, A Lot of Freedom + Nicoise Salad
…make a vinaigrette, toast some seeds and cook beans and then come dinner time, things come together with minimal effort. Take the classic Nicoise Salad: to make it all at once is straightforward but it does involve cooking 3 different things (eggs, potatoes, beans), making a dressing, etc. However, with the vinaigrette already done and the potatoes and eggs already cooked, it’s pretty effortless. This idea of prepping a handful of building blocks is about really cooking by using…
Summer at the Beach and a new Technique
…detailed instructions. The subject of recipe writing and how much detail to give warrants a whole post but in short, I would like to think that with some dishes, describing the process with approximate quantities give the cook more freedom and license to use whatever he/she has on hand and to taste and experiment along the way. Cooking can be very fun this way and in my quest to get people cooking more often, it’s an important part of demystifying…
Time Well Spent & Salade Nicoise
…days she’d have a lentil soup simmering away while we were heading off to school. So the idea of getting a jump-start on dinner in the morning has often been part of my routine too. These days I’ve been hard boiling eggs and cooking potatoes and green beans in the morning so that I can throw together a Nicoise Salad in a few minutes at night. The warmer weather has inspired more cold suppers and one of my favorites is…
Teaching & Wellness Programs
Wellness Programs & Teaching Simple tricks and a bit of confidence can turn into new habits that get you hooked on fresh produce and the joy of cooking it. If your workplace has a Wellness Program and is interested in cooking classes, demonstrations or presentations there is more information here or get in touch. Would you like a fun, educational team building activity for your team? Cooking and eating together and learning new skills and habits can be an…
About
…tools or ingredients to nourish yourself and your loved ones everyday. Cooking has begun to be described as a radical, even revolutionary act by the likes of Michael Pollan and other food system pundits. It is certainly an empowering, self sustaining and healing act and one that brings us closer to our families, our ancestors, our neighbors, as well as our soil, water, flora and fauna. I want to celebrate and elevate these connections. With years of cooking in…
Pasta Primavera–in Mid-Summer, Yes!
…tons of veg) something my kid will devour. Happy cooking, stay cool and I’ll be back with a salad soon! Pasta Primavera Variations vary the quantity of vegetables to suit your needs–I like a high ratio of veg to pasta double the cream sauce if you want a saucier, richer dish–this amount just coats everything and highlights the veg add diced, cooked chicken Serves 4-6 Sauce 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons flour 1 1/3 cups…
Yellow Peas and Rice with Onion Relish
…world-wide. Indian and Italian preparations are serving me particularly well, but so are Mexican and French ones. So the fact that we grow such a huge variety of peas and beans in the U.S. that I can then prepare based on hundreds of years of cooking wisdom from far-flung places, climates and cultures is a joy. While I did not intend to post two recipes back to back with the same colors and almost the same spice-scheme, I hope you’ll…
Kids in the Kitchen?
Cons: mess (especially when they’re younger) things take longer less adult control uneven results power struggles/fights Pros: fun new skills (for everyone!) time with your kid away from screens kids have great ideas less adult control kids really like eating the food they make more thank you’s when I cook My teenage son has been cooking dinner once a week for almost a year now. When he turned 13 we asked him to take on this new duty….
Even when you think you can’t . . .
…the pasta. When the timer goes off, add the broccoli to the pasta and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes or until both pasta and broccoli are tender. Scoop out save 1/2 cup of hot, starchy pasty cooking water and then drain everything well and put in a serving dish with the cheese, the reserved cooking water a good splash of olive oil and black and hot pepper. Mix well and taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and/or oil….
Simple Italian Lentil and Rice Stew
…this and that’s why it’s such a winner for when all you have is your pantry–which hopefully always contain rice and lentils. Either short or long-grain brown rice would work too though you would increase the cooking time for the rice a bit. Parsley grows almost year-round here in Western Oregon so this is truly a pantry meal in our household. You could probably substitute dried oregano and/or thyme and add a bay leaf to the broth when you’re cooking…
