You see, I have a freezer full of pureed vegetables–neatly frozen in 1 oz cubes– that my once-adventurous fressers now refuse to eat.  Never one to waste food, I’ve been looking to repurpose these colorful little cubes of wholesomeness, and have tried many different experiments to that end.

My most successful experiment to date has been the fluffy pink pancakes that resulted from adding 2 oz of thawed beet-sweet potato puree to a storebought buckwheat pancake mix.  (My kids will eat anything in a pancake form, as it turns out.)  Since the mix was not gluten-free, however, I’ve been unable to sit with them and share breakfast, which is an important part of raising good eaters.  So I turned my attention to finding a good, gluten-free buckwheat pancake recipe that the whole family could enjoy.

I love the beet-buckwheat combo for so many reasons.  For starters, buckwheat is naturally a good source of iron, which makes it a great grain for women and kids alike–gluten-free or not.  Beets are a fantastic source of folate, another female-friendly nutrient that, notably, is missing from most gluten-free flours and baked goods (whereas conventional wheat flour must be fortified with folic acid by law).  For those adults and kids who aren’t getting enough leafy greens (read: most of us), beets are a great alternative source of folate.  Beets have a natural sweetness and mild flavor to them as well, making them easy to blend into a pancake recipe.  (Because they tend to be watery, I mix them with sweet potatoes for the puree to keep it nice and creamy).  Lastly, as an Eastern European gal by ancestry, beets and buckwheat speak to my inner Ashkenazi.

Blini, for the uninitiated (or those of us who don’t get invited to fancy parties), are mini pancakes of Russian origin, traditionally made with wheat or buckwheat, topped perhaps a dollop of sour cream, and served as the base for caviar.  While bona-fide blini are made with yeast, my American-style shortcut uses a chemical leavener (baking powder) to save effort and time.  Though this recipe may seem just like a breakfast pancake by another name, these blini are decidedly in the salty/savory camp– they lack any semblence of sweetness.  If you are keen on modifying them to be more breakfasty, you could add 2 TBSP sugar to the dry ingredients.  Or just leave them as-is and top with maple syrup.

Regarding the topping: while caviar is not a staple in my pantry, Beluga lentils– the “caviar of lentils“–most certainly are.  They’re easy enough to make from scratch, but for the seriously time-pressed, note that Trader Joe’s does indeed sell pre-cooked Beluga Lentils in shelf-stable packaging.  In addition, you can add an optional dollop of sour cream, crème fraiche or plain greek yogurt to anchor the lentils in place if you wish.  A storebought horseradish cream sauce would be fabulous here as well.  Of course, you need not limit yourself to these toppings.  Savory buckwheat blini would make a fabulous, gluten-free base for a variety of toppings and spreads– smoked fish especially (think whitefish salad or herbed cream cheese with lox).

Recipe: Gluten-free Buckwheat Beet Blini with Beluga Lentil “Caviar”

Makes 24-30 blini.  Great as a party appetizer… and leftovers double as a fabulous toddler snack.

For the lentils:

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup dry beluga lentils, rinsed
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cups water
• Salt, to taste

1. Heat olive oil in a small saucepan.
2. Saute onion and garlic in olive oil for about 3 minutes
3. Add 1/4 dried beluga lentils, bay leaf and water.
4. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for ~20 minutes (or until lentils are tender to your liking)
5. Add salt to taste.  Remove bay leaf.  Set aside.

For the blini:

• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup beet-sweet potato puree (click here for recipe)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 1/4 cup milk (you can use a dairy-free milk substitute, such as soymilk or almond milk, if you wish)
• 2 Tbsp melted butter or margarine, plus more butter for frying
• Optional garnish: sour cream, plain greek yogurt or créme fraiche

1. Cook beluga lentils as per above.
2. While lentils are cooking, combine buckwheat flour, salt and baking soda in a medium-sized bowl
3. Add beaten egg, milk, melted butter and beet/sweet potato puree to the dry ingredients
4. Stir mixture until just combined
5. Melt just enough butter in a large, non-stick frying pan to coat the bottom.  When pan is hot, pour small amount (about 2 tablespoonfuls) of batter for each blini.  Cook 1 to 1½ minutes, turning when edges look cooked and bubbles begin to break on the surface. Continue to cook 1 to 1½ minutes or until golden brown.
6. Cool blini completely before garnishing with toppings and serving.

Related posts:

1. The Caviar of Lentils
2. Buckwheat: The groats that float my boat
3. Red Lentil Soup

Well, here are some of the goodies on my shopping list this year.  Given the sad state of the economy, all of my selections this year are super affordable–mostly in the $15- $30 range.  Looking for more inspiration?  Check out last year’s Tasty Holiday Gift Guide as well!

Best Gift for the Intestinally Challenged Foodie: A Fabulous, ‘Free-from’ Cookbook

If my blog and others of its ilk haven’t proven to you yet that gluten-free cooking can be every bit as delicious (and indulgent, at times) as its wheaty counterpart, then its time to bring in the heavy artillery: Barbara Kafka’s new tome, The Intolerant Gourmet: Glorious Food Without Gluten and Lactose .  Like a modern ‘Joy of Cooking’ for those of us who have gluten or lactose intolerance– and those of you who host us at your homes for Thanksgiving and other holidays–this book is an essential reference of fantastic recipes that can be enjoyed by everyone around the table.  While I’m not buying this for anyone else, I’m hoping my Secret Snowflake reads my blog with some regularity and picks up a copy of this for me for our family Hannukah gift exchange this year!

Best Gift for your Long-Distance, Sweet-Toothed Sweetie: Mail-order Macarons

Macarons from Mad Mac are created by Chef Florian Bellanger, a veteran of Paris’ best patrisseries, including Pierre Herme (swoon) and Fauchon.  The company will ship trays of their divine, freshly-baked, gluten-free macarons anywhere in the country via UPS.  These are the real deal, people.  And you don’t even have to wait on line for an hour at Ladurée for a taste of the best version of Paris’ signature pastry available on this side of the Atlantic.  Choose from collections of the classic flavors, or treat your sweetie to the limited edition Winter collection, which includes pumpkin, cinnamon, earl grey, chocolate/orange, white chocolate and chestnut/whiskey.  Pardon me while I wipe the drool off my keyboard now.

Best Gift for your Favorite DIY’er: Mozzarella Cheesemaking Kit

I’ve been DYING to make my own Mozzarella Cheese, which is reportedly super easy to do.  Alas, it cannot be done using UHT (ultra-high temperature) pasteurized milk, which applies to all of the Lactose-free milk I come across (Lactaid and Organic Valley brands).  *Sigh*.  This Mozzarella Cheesemaking Kit, therefore, should be reserved for the lactose tolerant person in your life who loves to play around in the kitchen and make pizza or other mozz-centric Italian dishes.  If they have access to awesome local milk from nearby dairy farms or farmer’s markets, whis would make an even cooler gift (and more delicious cheese).

Best Gift for the Kids in your Life:  The Gift of Fun Mealtimes

The Mr. Food Face plate reminds me of those toys as a kid where you’d use a magnetic stylus to move around magnetic “hair” on a variety of cartoon heads.  What better way to acquaint a highly neophobic young eater with the friendly side of their fruits and veggies as they delight the unique colors, shapes and textures these foods add to a meal?  (Of course, it comes in a Ms. Food Face version as well.)

Along similar lines, school-aged kids have fun with their food using Constructive Eating’s Construction Plate and Utensils.  With all the fun of using the pusher to guide food onto the spoon… and ultimately into the mouths… kids may be tempted to finish everything on their plates.  Including their peas, brussels sprouts, lima beans and all the other delicious foods that children stereotypically won’t eat.

Best Secret Santa/Stocking Stuffer Gift for Your Single Friend/Brother/Sister: Perfectly Brewed Coffee for One

Why should the live-alone crowd have to choose between instant coffee (yuk), brewing a full pot of coffee when they only want one cup (wasteful) or investing in an expensive pod-based system ($$)?  Single people have rights, you know!  The Clever, sold by Gimme! Coffee, is an elegant, $15 solution: a countertop-to-mug contraption that produces perfect cups of filtered coffee from their favorite grinds.  While you’re browsing the site, check out some of Gimme’s! unique, sustainable coffee varieties, many of which are Limited Edition.

Best Gift for Your Green, Brown-Bagging Work friend: Reusable BPA-free Stacking Lunch Box

I don’t know about you, but I like to bring soups and chilis to work with me when I’m brown-bagging it.  And that tends not to work so well in the standard insulated lunchbox/lunchbag scenario.  This stacking version is reminiscent of the Indian “Tiffin,” allowing you to pack meal components in two different compartments (Soup and salad?  Leftover rice and stir fried veggies?  Chili and toppings?) and heat up one or both directly in the carrying case.  Clever!

Related posts:

1. My Tasty 2010 Holiday Gift Guide

It’s a particularly vexing question when one neglected to go grocery shopping over the weekend, so her fresh ingredient stock is limited to onions, baby carrots and a small handful of brussels sprouts.  A thorough inspection of the pantry yielded plenty of dry staples, though, and the back corners of the fridge were hiding the jetsam of our Thanksgiving cooking frenzy– a half jar of chestnuts, some leftover sage leaves– quickly on their way out.  Time to get creative.

I decided to compose a soup of Dried Wild Mushrooms, Lentils and Chestnuts, using roasted brussels sprouts and fried sage leaves as a garnish.  My hope was that this eclectic combination of earthy and sweet flavors would be harmonious rather than cacophonous, with crispy green garnishes offering a pop of welcome color and texture to the smooth, autumnal puree.  Since these flavors work so beautifully together in Thanksgiving stuffing, after all, why not a soup?  For seasoning, I chose thyme (a classic in stuffing, and one of my favorites), and a small hit of smoked paprika to add depth and richness of flavor in lieu of, say, bacon, which I don’t eat.  (You could use chipotle powder to similar effect if you prefer a spicier soup).  I didn’t bother using celery in my mirepoix, since I never have it around the house and doubt many of you do, either.

The results were fantastically tasty beyond my expectations.  This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian (and easily made vegan if you use Vegetable stock).  It is elegant enough to serve to company for a fall or winter dinner party, but easy enough to make for no particular reason on a weeknight.  It’s filling enough to be a one-dish meal, thanks to the hearty body that the lentils provide… just load it up with that brussels sprout garnish to get in some greens!

Recipe: Wild Mushroom Chestnut Soup with Autumn Garnishes

Serves 4-6

1 onion, chopped
2 TBSP olive oil
1 carrot, chopped (or equivalent chopped baby carrots to yield ~ 1/2 cup chopped)
1 oz dried wild mushrooms, soaked in enough boiling water to cover them for at least 30 minutes; reserve the water for the soup
1.5 cups dry lentils
1 cup of jarred whole chestnuts
1 quart (32 ounces) vegetable stock, chicken stock or plain water
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp smoked paprika

Kosher salt & pepper to taste

Smoked paprika is the secret ingredient that brings this soup to life

Garnishes (prepare while soup is simmering):

Roasted brussels sprouts (see directions below)
Fried sage leaves (recipe follows; make LOTS of them.  You will want one in every bite of soup… they are so damn tasty.)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in soup pot or large 4 quart saucepan
2. Add chopped onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until sweating
3. Add the chopped carrots, mushrooms in their soaking water, lentils, chestnuts, stock or water, thyme, paprika, 2 generous pinches of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (optional) to taste
4. Cover and bring soup to a boil.  When boil is reached, reduce heat and simmer, partly covered, for about 30 minutes or until lentils are soft/cooked well
5. While soup is simmering, prepare garnishes below
6. When soup is finished cooking, taste for seasoning and add additional salt/paprika as desired.  Turn off heat.
7. Using an immersion (stick) blender, puree soup in the cooking pot to desired texture.  (Alternatively, you can transfer soup to a blender and puree it in batches).
8. Serve with roasted brussels sprouts and fried sage leaves as garnishes

• To roast brussels: trim base off of desired quantity of brussels sprouts, and cut them down the middle.  Toss them in a bowl with just enough olive oil to kiss them all but not drown or drench… a good rule of thumb is 1-2 TBSP per pound.  Sprinkle with kosher salt.  Roast in 400-degree oven for 15-20 minutes, or until outside starting to caramelize but the sprouts are not dried out or mushy.
• To fry sage leaves: set aside desired quantity of fresh sage leaves.  Trim larger leaves into 2-3 segments if necessary to ensure all leaves are roughly the same size.  Heat just enough olive oil in a pan to cover the bottom.  When oil is nice and hot, toss in a handful of sage leaves (you may need to do this in batches to prevent overcrowding the pan, which will result in soggy leaves).  Fry the sage leaves, stirring constantly, for 5-10 seconds only!  (The leaves will get crispy as they cool even though they still appear green).  Remove leaves from pan with a slotted spoon or spatula and place on a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.  Sprinkle with a touch of kosher salt.

Related posts:

1. A Tearful Reunion with Mushroom “Barley” Soup
2. Pardon me, but is that Cauliflower soup in your lasagna?
3. Red Lentil Soup

I’ve been wanting to do a savory pumpkin dish for some time now, and as I eyed the beautiful curcubit specimens at our local farmer’s market, the memory of a dish I once had at an Afghan restaurant came to mind.  Warm, comforting, savory, beautifully-spiced but not spicy– it would be a perfectly seasonal vegetarian entree that would satisfy the grownup palates but produce ample leftovers to use for feeding the dentally-challenged highchair set.

Insofar as any Afghan dish can be considered “popular” in America, Borani Kadoo (alt: Kadu Bouranee) would probably be it.  From what I can tell, versions of this dish are also found in Persian (Iranian) and Pakistani cuisine, though they may simply be referred to as “kadu” (pumpkin) something and served without yogurt.  The term “borani” generally refers to a yogurt-based appetizer or dip, often served cold and with bread.  For example, there are many different types of Borani dishes in Persian cuisine, including spinach ones and eggplant ones.  And lookie there: we’ve officially exhausted my knowledge of Central Asian cuisine.

I found this recipe for Borani Kadoo and followed it pretty much to a tee (with the exception of omitting the jalapeno to make it less aggressive to baby palates).  It appears to be the most popular one floating around the web, and for good reason: it’s super simple and requires very little prep; the only real effort is actually cutting and peeling the pumpkin itself.  (If you’ve never done this before, click here to read my previous post on pumpkins to learn how to safely do it, and make sure you have a really good chef’s knife that’s up to the task.)  I used a Cheese Pumpkin, which is a beige-colored pumpkin with texture quite similar to butternut squash, which, incidentally, would be a perfectly acceptable stand-in for the pumpkin this recipe calls for.  I might also suggest a cilantro or fresh mint garnish for some visual interest and a splash of complementary herbaceous flavor to cut some of the pumpkin’s sweetness, though the sour yogurt works wonders to this effect.

Other serving suggestions: toss into an arugula salad to add some substance to a lunch meal; toss in with some pasta, ricotta cheese, grated Parmesean and fried sage leaves for a delightful one-bowl dinner; or cook it down a little softer than the recipe suggests, layer with the yogurt sauce and serve as a dip alongside pita wedges or gluten-free crackers.

To boost the nutritional value of this already nutritious, high-fiber, high Vitamin-A recipe, consider using plain 0% Greek Yogurt to make the yogurt sauce rather than plain regular yogurt.  Doing so will also cut the lactose content significantly if this is an issue for you.

Related posts:

1. The Great Pumpkin

I realized that with some better planning, I should be able to choose dishes–and make enough of them– to feed all four of us.  Especially considering that two of us only eat about 4 ounces in a sitting.

The first component of the inaugural family meal became clear to me when I passed our local Farmer’s Market and saw that purple cauliflowers had arrived.  I had been eyeing a recipe for Purple Cauliflower and White Bean puree from fellow RD Sophie Clarke’s blog, Mostly Eating, for some time, and knew that I could adapt it to my family’s tastes.  (See below for adapted recipe). My kids and husband all love roasted cauliflower… and can you think of any better way to jazz up a baby’s diet of mushy, pureed foods than to infuse it with a shock of bright purple?

A note on purple cauliflower nutrition

Purple fruits and veggies are rich in antioxidant pigments called anthocyanins

Is purple cauliflower more nutritious than its white counterpart?  It certainly appears to be, though the standard version’s nutritional credentials aren’t too shabby either.  Both are roughly equivalent on the “macronutrient” front: calories (about 25 calories per cup of raw florets), carbs (5g) and fiber (2g).  That same cup of white cauliflower has about 80% of your daily value for Vitamin C.  Vitamin C aside, the antioxidant content is almost certainly higher in a purple cauliflower, owing largely to the presence of the purple antioxidant pigments called anthocyanins– the same ones that make purple cabbage purple and blueberries blue.

While I could not find reliable information that quantifies the the nutritional differences in these two cauliflower varieties, I thought it might be informative to compare the difference between two very close relatives of cauliflower: purple cabbage versus regular (green) cabbage.  (Purple cauliflower, in fact, is believed to derive from wild cabbage plants).  Perhaps we may be able to infer something about the relative amount of phytonutrients in a purple cauliflower versus a white one?  (And if the faulty logic of this comparison pisses off any budding chemists in our midst, I hope it will spur them to undertake a proper analysis of cruciferous vegetable antioxidant activity and share the results with the rest of us).

While a 3 oz (100g, raw) serving of both red and green cabbage varieties has approximately the same number of calories (25-30) and fiber (2-2.5g), red cabbage has more antioxidant Vitamin C (about 100% of the daily value in red, versus 60% for green); 16 times more beta carotene– an precursor for antioxidant Vitamin A; and 11 times more lutein + zeaxanthin–two antioxidant carotene pigments that play a pivotal role in eye health and vision.  In other words, depending on the particular antioxidant measured–purple cabbage has anywhere from 1.6x to 16x the antioxidant content of the standard green variety.  (And these examples only account for a small percentage of the total number of antioxidants present in cabbage…)  Given these impressive stats, it seems to make sense to choose purple-colored veggies often–purple cauliflower included– to get that much more bang for your nutritional buck.

Recipe: Mashed Purple Cauliflower with White Beans

Mashed purple cauliflower with white beans: fresh for the family or frozen into single-serve portions for baby

A beautiful (and quirky), easy, delicious, family-friendly recipe for weeknight, Halloween and Thanksgiving dinners alike!  High in fiber and Vitamin C and low on the glycemic index, it’s a fabulous substitute for mashed potatoes.

Ingredients:

1 large head purple cauliflower, cut into florets

3 TBSP olive oil

Kosher salt

Dried thyme

1 14.5 oz can cannellini beans, drained* (or other small white bean, such as Navy beans).

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. In a large bowl, combine cauliflower florets, olive oil, a modest sprinkle of salt and a generous sprinkle of dried thyme (to taste), and toss well to coat
3. Arrange cauliflower florets on a baking dish and roast in oven for 20-30 minutes, or until florets are fork tender and just starting to brown
4. Remove cauliflower from oven and place in a food processor along with the canned white beans.  Puree until smooth.  (Alternatively, you can puree the roasted cauliflower along with the beans in a large pot using an immersion (stick) blender.)

* I use Eden Organic brand when cooking for my kids since the company does not use BPA in its can liners.

Related posts:

1. Pardon me, but is that Cauliflower soup in your lasagna?

Since I hardly have time to pee, let alone cook meals, our wonderful family and friends have been dropping off meals to help keep us fed.  (Sidebar: if you’re pregnant, consider joining a meal registry like MealBaby; having friends and family bring you food once the baby arrives will be MUCH more useful than having an extra dozen onesies or receiving blankets!)

So far, both my mom and my mother-in-law have stocked our freezer with their own versions of cholent– the quintessential Jewish comfort food.  I guess they figured it was loaded with complex carbs, protein and iron to keep me nourished and energized, but would be easy enough to shovel in my face by the spoonful in between crying jags (both mine and the babies, naturally).

Cholent is a hearty, stick-to-your-ribs, stew that was traditionally cooked overnight on Fridays and served for lunch on the Sabbath.  Most versions contain meat, potatoes, beans and barley, though the folks who cook for me replace barley with a gluten-free substitute like quinoa or millet (if you like the barley effect, try Job’s Tears as a comparable GF replacement).

Cholent is decidedly not light winter fare, though you can significantly reduce its fat content (which derives from the meat) by refrigerating finished cholent overnight and then skimming the solidified fat right off the top; besides, cholent that’s 1-2 days old tastes even better than fresh-from-the-oven.  Cholent is a pretty flexible dish and everyone’s grandmother makes it everso slightly differently: you can change proportions of beans, meat, potatoes to suit your taste, or according to what you have on hand.  (My MIL sometimes adds whole eggs in the shell to hers, which roast overnight.  She’s also been known to toss in some sweet potatoes.  It’s very hard to go wrong with this dish.)  The important thing is to cook your cholent for 6 to 8 hours, or even longer; anything less than that has no flavor.

Recipe: My Mom’s Cholent

No related posts.