Garden Tuesday – 08/18/09 - Bean Bounty

Happy Garden Tuesday! I’ve seen a big shift in my garden this week. Some of my items are now past peak, such as the peas and the lettuce. Other items are just coming into their own, such as the zucchini and tomatoes. Mmm ... garden ripe tomatoes. And yet other items just keep on keeping on, such as the herbs and the beans.Lordly, do I have a boatload of beans in my garden. I planted only two varieties: Pole Beans and Bush Beans. I’m most familiar with pole bean varieties, so imagine my surprise when I discovered that I like the bush beans better! I’m making an assumption that bush beans get their name from their shape ... they spread out low in the garden vs. climbing up a trellis. The ones I grew have great flavor and they were, to my surprise, stringless! I staggered my plantings, just by a couple weeks, and I’m so glad that I did that. I’ve been enjoying their greenie goodness for a while now.So, when it comes to bean preparation, are you a tail kind of person? I’m a tail person. I leave them on.Off with their heads! Obviously, though, I do snap the heads off. I spent many an hour snapping beans when I was a kid. I actually like snapping beans. It’s quick, easy, and not messy at all. If I close my eyes, I can transport myself back in time to sitting in the back yard of my childhood home, sitting in a lawn chair, and snapping bean after bean with my mom. I used to make her laugh by belting out spiritual songs while we worked. I can still hear her laughter. Sure do miss her. Maybe that’s why I like beans so much.

Anyway, when it comes to beans, I like simple preparations best. A quick toss with olive oil and garlic is enough for me. My family, however, likes a bit of butter with theirs, so I’ve adapted my tastes for them.Gather a meals worth of beans. I just use my colander when I pick them ... makes prep and cleaning that much easier. Snap off the stems and rinse thoroughly.Add to a boiling pot of water, and boil for about 6 minutes. I always put a little dollop of olive oil after adding the beans. I don’t know why ... my mother did it so I do it. It does seem to keep the veggies bright green that way. Alternately, you could steam them.

NOTE: Here’s an old wives tale tip for boiling veggies: If it grows above ground, add it to boiling water. If it grows below ground, add it to the water and then bring it to a boil! Works for me!While the beans are a’boilin’, in a sauté pan, sauté a thinly sliced, not minced, clove of garlic in a combo of olive oil and butter. Saute it just enough to take the bite out of the garlic.Remove from the heat, and toss in the cooked beans. Season with sea salt if desired.
Serve! Beans fresh out of the garden are a real treat. It goes without saying that these are gluten free (uh, I just said it though.) I could make an entire meal just out of beans! YUM!

The case of the mashed potato wannabe: Creamy Mashed Cauliflower Augratin

I love finding new ways to cook familiar ingredients. Take the main ingredient in today’s recipe, for example: Cauliflower. The little white tree like vegetable that spends most of it’s culinary life on a relish tray next to the ranch dip. Ah, the potential for this lovely little veggie is enormous.

I love the little crunchy white things. They are most welcome on my plate in just about any form ... raw, broiled, boiled, steamed, fried, in soup, or, as in today’s recipe, mashed. Have you ever had mashed cauliflower? I had mashed cauliflower a long time ago and really liked it, and since I had a head of it in my fridge, I thought it would be fun to pair it with the zesty pork chops I shared with you in the prior post.
Off to the internet I went, and successfully pulled up about 700 bazillion recipes for mashed cauliflower. This type of mashed recipe enjoys a loyal following due to the “low carb” diets that came into fruition a few years ago, and continues to grace many a restaurant’s menu. They are a great substitute for mashed potatoes, and while they don’t taste anything like mashed potatoes, they provide a similar texture that pairs so magically with many meats. It’s easy to prepare, tastes great, and looks really pretty! So, if you are looking for ways to use up your cauliflower bounty, look no further than this yummy little recipe.

And, yes, before you gasp and roll your eyes, this does have some fat in it. We’ll have to have a chat sometime soon regarding the much beleaguered fat. I’ll have you know that after reintroducing certain fats into my diet a couple months ago, I’ve lost weight, my hair, skin and nails look better, and I feel loads better. No more low-fat substitutions for me, thank you. Now that doesn’t mean that I’m sitting at home scooping up spoonfuls of butter into my face. Rather, it’s a way of cooking using ingredients that my grandmother and great grandmother would recognize. We can talk more about that later. For now, here’s the recipe.

Ingredients
• 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
• ¾ brick of cream cheese
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided

Description
1. Divide a head of cauliflower into florets.I achieve that by slicing the entire head in half, and then slicing off the individual florets off the center section.This is what you’re left with, a clean stalk.Steam cauliflower pieces over boiling water until the cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the cauliflower VERY WELL, pat dry, and set aside. NOTE: I highly recommend steaming the cauliflower and not boiling it. You don’t want the extra water content that comes with boiling veggies. It would make the end project too loose.
2. Preheat the broiler. In a food processor, whip up the remaining ingredients except the cheese until it is the consistency of a thick dip. Add the cauliflower and puree the cauliflower on high speed until smooth, but with some very small pieces of cauliflower remaining in the mix for just a bit of texture. I like mine a little chunky, but the rest of the family likes it smooth. Puree it to whatever texture you like best. Pulse in ½ of the cheese.
3. Pour pureed cauliflower into medium casserole dish (I didn’t grease mine). Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top, and pop under the broiler for about 5 minutes or until golden brown on top.Isn’t that golden color gorgeous? YUM! Makes about six side servings, and is gluten free.Mmm, mmm, mmm! I really liked this. The consistency was very smooth and creamy, and the cheese on top added a lovely nuttiness that I enjoy. See how similar the texture is to mashed potatoes? It was not as heavy as mashed potatoes, in fact, it was pretty light. This was a great accompaniment to the tangy sauce that was on the pork chops.

So what’s your favorite way to eat cauliflower? Do you think you’d like to try this version?

Dancing Taste Buds --- Crescent Roll Appetizer Pizza!

What a whirlwind of a week! We had a wonderful trifecta going on here ... my baby celebrated her crossover into double digits -- 10th birthday (yikes!), out of town guests arrived in honor of said birthday girl, and gleaming beams of sunshine warmed our faces! Rolls of laughter and streams of happy tears were part of the picture perfect goings-on. It’s been a while since I laughed so heartily that I cried. Felt really good. Have to do that more often.Since I was preparing food for a crowd (made me think about Marjie), I thought it would be fun to experiment with some one pan meals. Years ago I had a version of today’s recipe as a vegetarian appetizer. So, I thought to myself, why not turn it into a brunch meal by tossing on some meat and serving larger portions. It was a hit with my guests. All the grown ups devoured it. The kids didn’t touch it; I think my son may have even wrinkled his nose. Of course the beast had no problem sneaking bites of salami as I was prepping this meal, and the girls kept snagging cucumber slices. Does your family do that? Swipe bits of this and that as you are cooking? Still it was no biggie as I had plenty of food, and planned something else for them as this is not a gluten free meal anyway. I'm working on a gluten free version of it.Have you seen this recipe before? It’s been featured in those mini magazines they sell at the check out line at the grocery store. Made with Pillsbury crescent roll dough and cream cheese, it couldn’t be easier. I tossed on some leftover grilled chicken plus some cubed salami, and the result made my taste buds dance. If you want dancing taste buds, check this out. Soon.

Ingredients:

2 cans Pillsbury Crescent Rolls (I used the low fat ones)
1 brick cream cheese – softened
½ cup sour cream
¼ teaspoon dill
¼ teaspoon garlic powder

RAW veggies: 1 cup chopped fresh broccoli, ½ of a red pepper, 1 carrot shredded, ½ of a cucumber, seeded, and 3 green onions, sliced thin.

1 cup diced leftover grilled chicken, warmed up
1 cup diced thick salami

Preheat your oven to 375. Spread the crescent dough out onto a large, non stick sheet pan, pressing the seams together to form one large flat sheet of dough. Bake for 10 minutes, or until just lightly golden. Remove from over and let cool.

Meanwhile, combine the softened cream cheese and the sour cream until smooth. Stir in the dill and garlic powder. Spread onto the cooled crescent dough. Top with veggies and meat. Cut into squares and serve immediately. (Be careful cutting on a non stick pan.) This can also be put in the fridge a day early and served cold.Just look at this! It was soooo good. This little meal is bursting with texture ... crunchy veg, creamy spread, chewy crust, and flavorful meat. I just loved every bite. This would be great as an appetizer for summer potlucks as well as a great brunch dish. Totally yummy! Go ahead, try it and let your taste buds dance!

Super Stuffed Peppers ... On The Grill!!!

Happy Saturday greetings to you all! Guess what? Guess what? That magnificent solar orb in the sky is blazing bright today over the Pacific Northwest. Not only that, it’s hot, hot, hot!

As such, today’s weather called for an equally dazzling meal. Check out these gluten free babies. I made stuffed peppers on the grill. Not just any ole stuffed peppers ... these babies are overstuffed with all sorts of Mexican style goodies. I’ve actually made gluten free stuffed peppers twice in the past couple of weeks. The first time I made them using ground chicken for the meat portion and I cooked them in the oven. They were terrific. Today, however, I used ground beef and made them on the grill. Grill trumps oven, hands down. One of the secrets that makes this so yummilicious is the cubed cheese in the filling. It makes the most delicious pockets of gooey yumminess! Mmm, mmm, good. Let's begin!These super stuffed peppers are so easy to assembly. I used up bits of this and that that I had handy, and my oh my did hubbyman love these.

Super stuffed peppers on the grill

1 lb ground beef
4 peppers halved and seeded (I used red, green, yellow, and orange peppers)
1 cup or so of leftover cooked rice, cold
¾ cup black beans, rinsed
¾ cup corn
2 tablespoons minced onion
1 cup cubed mont. jack cheese or mozzarella cheese
1 egg beaten with a couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons green salsa
2 tablespoons red salsa (can substitute tomato sauce)
Salt
Seasoned Salt
Black Pepper
Mexican Oregano
Chili powder

Preheat your grill to 400 degrees. Partially fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil. Remove from the burner, drop in your pepper halves, and let sit in the hot water for about 3-5 minutes. Remove and drain.

Meanwhile, combine all the other ingredients. Place peppers in a tall sided aluminum pan. I used two pans placing 4 halves in each pan. Over stuff each pepper making sure to fill the pepper cavity completely. The filling shrinks during cooking.

Place a double sheet of aluminum foil on the grill, and put your pan(s) on top of the foil. Pour about ½ cup of hot water into each pan. Close the lid and grill for 50 minutes.

Couple of notes: Placing the peppers in the boiling water for just a couple of minutes prior to stuffing really makes a difference. You know how sometimes the pepper remains too crunchy? Well, this precooking bath really eliminates that. Be careful, though, not to let them sit too long or they’ll be too soft.See what I mean by overstuffed? Yeeowza! Serve with additional salsa, shredded cheese (I used cotija), and avocado. Prepare to hear yummy noises. Oh, and like most recipes here at It's All Gouda, this is gluten free, all the way, baby!

My only regret with these is that Marjie is allergic to peppers. I wonder what other veggies take well to stuffings like this? Any ideas? What’s your favorite stuffed pepper recipe?

The Perfect Bite - Stir Fry Veggies with Pork

Here’s a question for you. Does your body ever, um, you know, talk to you? By that I mean does your body ever send you signals of what it needs? Now I know some folks crave chocolate and justify snarfing down the dark goddess by saying they are getting the anti oxidants it provides. But seriously, my blogging friends, have you ever just craved, let’s say, a glass of milk ... nothing else will do? Then, while you were chugging down that white beverage, you realized that you’ve been neglecting dairy and so perhaps your body was letting you know what it needed? Or perhaps you really desire a banana or apple or orange, and as the first bite passes your lips, you realize just how long it’s been since you devoured your last one?

All day long today, I’ve been craving veggies. I miss my summer garden, both the convenience and goodness it provided. Now that the weather has turned blustery, we’ve been eating more “cold weather” meals for dinner. Heavier and heartier than our summer dining fare, these winter meals have all been very tasty, yet the thought of eating another large dose of meat tonight just didn’t sit well with me. Then I found my oldest daughter, who is a big veggie girl anyway, snacking on a bag of cut up lettuce. "Okay," I say to myself, "I hear you ... you want veggies! Your daughter wants veggies! I'm not one to mess with fate. Let’s lighten the load and have a full flavored veggie meal."

Then I said to myself, “Self, what about your carnivorous husband and son? What can you do, short of waving the proverbial magic wand, to make veggies the star of the show, but include some meat to satisfy the men-folk?”

Answer: Stir fry. Two words that make me smile and my taste buds dance just thinking about them. Do you ever prepare stir fry’s? What do you think of them? I think they are just super-de-duper. In less than 30 minutes, you can have a really tasty, tummy pleasing meal. Any veggies will do; I used what I had handy. I wish I had some nappa cabbage to add, too, as I love cabbage in stir fry's. Other folks might like sliced mushrooms, bean sprouts, pea pods, etc. I served this tantalizing combo over rice because of my gluten free eater, but you can pair stir fry’s with noodles, if you like. Start cooking your rice or noodles before you begin your prep work, and in no time at all, you’ll be crunching and munching on your dinner.

Another bonus with stir fry’s is that I’m able to enjoy what I like to call “the perfect bite”. (Did you ever see the movie “The Mirror Has Two Faces”, where Barbara Streisand likes to load her fork with different foods in her quest for the perfect bite?) You’ve seen me posting loaded fork photos ... my quest for the perfect blend of flavors all in one bite. Here we go –

Stir Fry Veggies with Pork

1 Tablespoon oil – I used canola
1 head of fresh broccoli – sliced into bite sized pieces
2 large carrots – bias sliced, thin
1 onion – sliced into medium wedges
1 green pepper - sliced into med/thin long strips
1 garlic clove – sliced in half, and then into thin shaved slices
Sea Salt
Pepper
½ teaspoon Ground ginger
3 pork chops – sliced into thin strips and tossed with salt, pepper, and a little oil
Soy Sauce – I used gluten free shoyu sauce
1 green onion – sliced thin for garnish
Hot chili sesame oil – few shakes for garnish
Hot cooked rice – I used a loooong grain basmati

In a large bowl, place about a ½ cup of water and add the broccoli. Put uncovered into microwave, and zap on high for about 3 minutes. Leave in the microwave to semi steam while you keep prepping the other veggies. In a large sauté pan or wok, heat the oil and add the onion. Stir fry for 30 seconds. Add the carrots and green pepper and stir fry for an additional 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic and keep stirring. Add the ground ginger (I didn’t have fresh) and stir it in. Very quickly, drain the broccoli and add to the pan. Keep stir frying for about 2 more minutes, and then remove veggies and place in a bowl near the stove. Your pan should be really hot. Now add the pork. It should really sizzle up. Stir it constantly until the pork is done. This happens relatively quickly ... just 2 or 3 minutes. Doesn’t it look pretty? Sprinkle the meat with about 3 or 4 shakes of soy sauce, stir it in, and then return all the veggies back to the pan. Toss together and remove from the heat.They look so pretty all mixed together. We’re almost done ... but go ahead and sneak a little nibble. I won’t tell. Plate with rice, and sprinkle with green onion and chili sesame oil. The chili sesame oil really added a ton of flavor and just a wee bit of heat. Use just regular sesame oil if you aren’t a fan of the chili version.
Now it’s time to compose the perfect bite. Lots of crunchy but not raw veggies, awesome rice (look at those long grains!) to provide a different texture component, and a strip of meat to satisfy the carnivores.Just a quick taste and ..... YUM! Flavor explosion!

My kids ate all of theirs ... although my son left most of his rice on his plate (I served his and his twin sisters meals with the rice and stir fry separate). My carnivorous hubbyman ate seconds and I think he snuck in thirds when I was distracted.Hello you beautiful broccoli. You, too, Mr. Carrot.

Simple foods. Quickly prepared. Lots of flavor. Oh yeah, the perfect bite. Added bonus ... gluten free all the way, baby!
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Stay tuned ... up coming post to include our version of a gingerbread house ... only this house is made from rice krispy treats! Gluten free, baby!

Wahoo! Summer Squash Ragu!

Ah, summer veggie season! This is the time of year when we all get creative with how to prepare the seemingly endless bounty of summer squash, tomatoes, and herbs strutting around our gardens and farmers markets. Zucchini is actually one of my favorite vegetables. I prefer them very small, no larger than 1.5” in diameter.

Here’s a dish that uses up both zucchini and yellow squash. It’s in the recipe family of caponata and pepperonata. This version, though, doesn’t have either eggplant or peppers in it, although feel free to add them if you have them! I ate this every summer growing up, as well as the other two dishes mentioned, and it is very tasty. It’s good either hot, cold, or at room temperature. I prefer it as a hot ragu over my gorgonzola polenta with an extra drizzle of olive oil , although it’s very tasty just as a side dish or with pasta or rice. Personally, I think it pairs best with either fish or chicken. It reheats very well, and is actually quite tasty as a brunch topper for fried eggs. Don't wince! It's really quite groovy over fried eggs! I dare you to try it! Double dare!

Ingredients:

Olive Oil
2 small zucchini, sliced thin
1 small yellow squash, sliced thin
½ onion sliced into either slivers or half rounds
1 garlic clove, sliced paper thin (or you could mince or chop it) *(See Note)
4 fresh “meaty” variety tomatoes diced (or 1 can diced tom’s)
¼ cup pitted green olives, rough chopped in large pieces (I used Spanish pimento stuffed ones because that’s what I had; calamata’s could be used, too)
1 Tsp of capers (optional)
Sea Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
Freshly grated pecorino romano or parmesan cheese.

Heat a very large sauté pan over high heat. Add the olive oil, swirl to coat the pan. Quickly toss in the zucchini and yellow squash and sauté, adjust your burner heat as necessary to keep veggies from burning. When the squash are lightly browned, remove from pan. Add a touch more oil to the pan, and quickly sauté the onions and garlic* (see note). As soon as they are translucent, return the squash to the pan, add the tomatoes, and stir to combine. Turn the heat to med-low, and cook until the tomatoes are soft and the mixture has thickened (about 10 minutes). Stir in the olives and capers. Season with Sea Salt and freshly ground pepper. Garnish with cheese once you’ve plated the veggies. Also, drizzle with add’l olive oil if desired. (I desired!)

Also, for my gluten free comrades, this dish is gluten free all the way!

*NOTE: I always salt my garlic after I’ve sliced, minced, or chopped it. It keeps it from burning. We’ll have to ask Alton Brown as to why that is. I think it has something to do with the salt releasing moisture or some such thing. Do you know why salting chopped garlic keeps it from getting sticky and burning?

Ears and Eyes

While munching on the first of this year's sweet corn bounty, I wondered why, why do we call corn an "ear"? Who made that decision? Why did they choose ear and not a "leg of corn" or how about a "hand of corn"? The internet rescued me from my musing, and offered up the reason that long ago and far, far away, the Gothic unit of measure word "ahs" came over time to be pronounced "ears". I'm sure other cultures have similar sounding words, but by and large, those lovely golden beauties are called "ears". I don't really care what we call it, as long as I can eat it. There is nothing, I repeat, nothing that says "summer" to me more than fresh corn on the cob. And "on the cob" is how I prefer it. Even my youngest cob, who is missing 3 front teeth, loves to munch on those golden ears. My oldest cob absolutely devours corn with cartoon character efficiency, and can dispatch multiple ears before I even get my napkin in my lap. Picture him, sitting impatiently waiting for everyone to get to the table, then waiting an eternity longer so the prayer can be said, when all he wants to do is e.a.t. Imagine, if you will, the revving engine sound in his head, and the word "amen" at the end of our grace is the starters pistol firing off that he's "good to go". I sometimes sit there in amazement at his eating efficiency. Of course, he takes after his Dad who never ceases to amaze me at the sheer quantity of food required to fuel that man. Of course, hubby man never gains a pound. Grrrrr.

I've made corn all sorts of ways ... boiled, steamed, grilled, etc. ... but my favorite way remains good ol' boiled with a slight post-boil slathering of salted butter. That's it. I get a huge stock pot, fill it about 2/3rds with water, bring it to a rolling boil, carefully drop my clean ears of corn into the pot, bring back to a nice boil, turn it down to a simmer, and let it go for 5-6 minutes. Drain the corn and immediately rub butter on it. Done. That's it. It takes more time cleaning the corn than it does to cook it.

There are so many great varieties of corn, and I like the super sweet corn that's from the Midwest. Growing up in Indiana, even though I grew up in the city, my town was surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of acres of corn, some of it sweet and some of it field corn. My hubby helped his relatives farm when he was growing up, and when we were dating his uncle teased him to be sure to keep his mind on the tractor, combine or whatever it was he was driving and not on that little girl he was dating. (That would have been me!) I remember my not-yet hubby man driving me home from dates on those old country roads where you not only had to avoid crater sized pot holes, but you also had to be aware of mammoth water cannons that the farmers used to water the corn at night. Those things can shoot water great distances and I swear they used unsuspecting passer-by's as targets. The farmers would water at night to combat evaporation, and many a time we'd be driving home after dark, out where the only light was the car head lights, with windows rolled all the way down to escape the summer heat, and then ... out of nowhere ... BAM!!! we'd be soaked with spray from a wayward water cannon. Ah, but we were young and in love and stuff like that made us laugh. I suspect hubby man's vocabulary would be much more colorful if that happened now! Anyway, all sweet corn is great, and this city girl has a soft spot in her heart for all farmers, and a special affinity for those who grow sweet corn.

Eating all that corn was a special treat before heading off on our extended holiday get-away weekend. We loaded up the kids and van and headed up to a lovely town called Leavenworth, WA. It's about 5 hours from our home, but feels like we went to Europe. It's a darling little Bavarian village nestled in a beautiful mountain valley. It's a great spot for us because hubby man gets to go hiking and I get to hang out at the pool. And that's exactly what we did! Hubby man took middle child on an 8 mile hike up to a mountain lake; they had a blast. Oldest and youngest offspring hung out with me at the pool. The resort we were at had it's own mini-movie theater and we saw "Wall-E", went to Wenachee, WA to see the fireworks (great fun), played miniature golf, and the kids hit the arcade where the kids won all sorts of stuff.

One of my son's prizes was this huge helicopter that you launch from a hand held position and it takes off. I have to admit, it's pretty cool. He and his siblings loved it, and they had great fun playing with it. That is ... until ... the unfortunate incident. Long story short, the helicopter is supposed to launch away from you, but in a freak twist of fate, it launched backward and one of the propellers clipped my son's eye. His injury is right where the iris and cornea meet. His guardian angel (actually, I think he must have an entire team of angels) did a great job in that this injury will heal, but he's on "no activity" status ... can't bend over, ride his bike, go swimming, run, play ball, etc.
Basically, he has to wear these protective glasses (which is much better than the patch he had to wear the past 24 hours) and is relegated to the recliner for 5 days. At that time, he'll get his eye rechecked and activity can resume. Poor kid. He's bored, bored, bored ... and has had his fill of pirate jokes. Arggh matey!

Cauliflower is my kind of flower

I love cauliflower. Cooked, raw, baked, mashed ... I like it all. Growing up, my mom would saute it in a little olive oil along with some sliced garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes. Simple, southern Italian fare. Other times, she would treat it like a frittata, mixing it with eggs and other fine ingredients. Again, simple yet outstanding flavor.

Since the weather has been so crummy and cold, I've been inclined to prepare dishes in the oven as it helps toast the house a bit. Baked cauliflower + cold weather = comfort food. Just double click on the above photo, and check out its crispy goodness.

It's quite simple to prepare. Heat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil. After rinsing, core one large head of cauliflower and break it into bite sized pieces. In a large mixing bowl, add 2T of Olive oil, two chopped garlic cloves, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes if desired. Add the cauliflower and mix well. Pour onto prepared baking sheet in a single layer and place in the oven. Stir about every 5 - 7 minutes and bake until nicely golden brown ... about 30-35 minutes.

This can also be prepared on the stove top. Don't put a lid on your saute pan, though, as you'll end up steaming the veggies.

Serve as a side dish.