Layers of vegetable goodness.

I have been seriously considering closing this blog simply because it is getting increasingly more difficult to find time to type of my recipes.  But tonight's dinner creation deserves to be recorded for posterity.  It was delicious.  But be forewarned - you will dirty a lot of pots and pans.  There are several steps, but the entire meal took me about 45 minutes to prepare, and probably another 45 minutes to cleanup.  You can double the recipe easily.

Polenta Layer 

4 c milk (I used water mixed with powdered milk)
2 T butter (I used unsalted, so if you use salted you may need to decrease the amount of salt)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
scant 1 c polenta (because this is all I had, but if you double the recipe use 1 3/4 cups)

Bring milk, butter, salt and pepper to a boil.  Slowly add polenta while stirring constantly until it thickens.  Reduce heat and simmer until quite thick, stirring occasionally.  Pour into a greased baking dish and stick in the freezer for the next 10 to 15 minutes s that it firms up.

Marinara Sauce
***This is Jamie Oliver's recipe, using tomato sauce instead of canned tomatoes because that is all I had

1 T olive oil
2 to 3 cloves garlic
2 14 oz cans tomato sauce
1 large bunch fresh basil, about 1 1/2 to 2 cups packed basil leaves, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Gently heat olive oil, add minced garlic and saute until lightly golden.  Add tomato sauce, basil, salt and pepper.  Stir to combine and then reduce heat and simmer at least 20 minutes.  Adjust seasoning.

Roasted Zucchini
1 T olive oil
1 large zucchini
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cut off ends of zucchini, halve, and then slice 1/4" thick lengthwise.  You should have enough slices to fill a cookie sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast at 375 until tender and beginning to brown.

Swiss Chard layer
1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed, leaves chopped
1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 T olive oil
large pinch of salt
1/3 c heavy cream

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Add onion and a bit of salt and saute until tender.  Add chard and continue to saute and when the chard just begins to lose the raw appearance add the cream, stir, cover pot with a lid, reduce heat and simmer until tender.  ***Creamed chard is the only way to go.  A minimal amount of cream, just 1 Tbs even, brings out a delicious sweetness.

To Assemble:
Spread the creamed chard/onion mixture over the polenta, add half of the tomato sauce and spread to cover.  Lay the roasted zucchini in a single layer and spread the remaining tomato sauce.  If you are making this all at once you can serve it immediately because the heat from all of the other components will warm the polenta.  I thought I would miss having cheese in this fake version of lasagna but the creaminess from the chard and polenta made me glad I hadn't added any cheese at all.  The flavor of this dish is seriously amazing.  And it was brought to you by what was left in my fridge and pantry today.  Enjoy.

Braised radishes. A lick the bottom of your bowl kind of dish.

Go buy radishes.  And then make this:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/braised-radishes-recipe/index.html.  We always get radishes as part of our CSA pick up and they always go to waste because try as I might, I just don't like them raw.  And I never thought of cooking them until I came across this recipe.  It is amazing.  We only had one bunch so I just halved the recipe.  They are amazing.

Farfalle with Beets and Parsley Pesto

I don't think I would have ever made this recipe if I hadn't first watched someone else make it.  Strangely enough my television program of choice while at the gym is the Food Network. We don't have cable so it seems like quite the treat (no pun intended, I just can't think of another phrase) to watch people create amazing food.  And it reminds me why I work out.  So that I can eat more.

We had this for dinner and everyone loved it.  I am posting the link to her recipe.  The only changes I made included reducing the amount of olive oil in the pesto to 1/4 cup, and using flat leaf instead of curly parsley.  You can make this in steps too, so you could make the beets and vinaigrette in the morning and keep in your fridge and just reheat it before adding it to the pasta and parsley pesto.

I didn't add my beet greens because they looked sad and smelled like a wet dog.  I'm going to add arugula tomorrow when we have this for lunch, but it is good with just the pasta, beets and pesto.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alexandra-guarnaschelli/farfalle-pasta-with-beet-vinaigrette-and-parsley-pesto-recipe/index.html

Black Bean & Orange Hummus

This is awesome.  Even better served warm with some grated cheese on top.  We ate it for lunch with pita chips and sliced turnips and radishes.  The recipe is from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan.

2 1/2 c cooked black beans
1/3 c freshly squeezed orange juice
2 1/2 tsp almond butter
1 large clove garlic, sliced
1 T olive oil
3 T red wine vinegar
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 c fresh parsley
1 tsp orange zest
fresh ground pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.  That's it.

Go buy this book.

I am usually not a fan of Williams-Sonoma Cookbooks, and not for any good reason, I'm just not drawn to them.  But this book may have converted me.  Go buy it now.  It just might change your life.

Soup of the Day:  365 recipes for every day of the year

I have made about 6 soups so far and each has been an astounding success.  They are easy to adapt to suit what you have on hand or your personal tastes and preferences.  I can open my fridge and cupboard at any given time and find ingredients to make at least one of the recipes in this book.  It is divided by months and the recipes are seasonally driven which makes it even better.  I'm not going to post the recipes because you really just need to go buy the book.  Now.

Coconut Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake

This is a work in progress.  But the first attempt was delicious, and Connor asked tonight if we were going to have more of that 'ummy cake'.  I'll write down the recipe as I made it, but I do plan on making some changes.  I baked my cake in a 9 or 10-inch (I didn't measure it yet) fluted tart pan that was about 2-inches deep.

Topping:
3 stalks rhubarb, sliced in half lengthwise and then thinly chopped
4 T butter, sliced thinly
3/4 c brown sugar, packed (I think this can be reduced to 1/2 cup)

Cake:
1 c sugar (I think this can be reduced to 3/4 cup)
4 T butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract (might cut down to 1 tsp, maybe add coconut extract?)
1 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 to 1/2 tsp Chinese Five Spice (I used this just because I had it, and it was really good, but you could just as easily use cardamom, or a combination of cinnamon and nutmeg)
1/2 c coconut (I used sweetened because it was all I had on hand)
1/2 c coconut milk

Spray your pan with cooking spray. Place the sliced butter around the pan and then cover with brown sugar.  Top with the sliced rhubarb. 

***The next time I make this I want to add coconut to the topping.  I also might try caramelizing the butter and brown sugar in a saucepan and then pouring into the cake pan.

Combine the melted butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.  Add the flour, baking powder, salt and spice and stir to combine.  Scrape down sides of the bowl and stir in coconut milk.  Fold in shredded coconut.  Spread over rhubarb

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 55 minutes, until cake is set and a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs.  Let cool and then invert onto a serving platter.  Good warm, but even better once it has cooled completely and chilled in the fridge.  It would be great warm with vanilla ice cream or freshly whipped cream.

Revised recipe to come.

Lemon Pudding Cakes

The recipe can be found here:  http://www.marthastewart.com/873677/lemon-pudding-cakes

The recipe is simple and delicious.  I even messed up and added all of the sugar to the yolks instead of reserving 1/4 c to whip with the egg whites, so I just whipped the egg whites on their own, folded them in and hoped for the best.  They turned out perfect.  The lemon sauce that forms at the bottom is heavenly.  And they aren't even that bad for you.  I made a batch and ate one the first night and kept them in my fridge and have eaten one per day all week long.  Go buy some lemons.