Tag: Vegetarian
Fig and Goat Cheese Bruschetta
You may have noticed it’s been awhile since my last post, for reasons that are probably obvious–it’s Christmastime! Like everyone else, I have a to-do list longer than Santa’s naughty list every year during December, so writing about food has been pushed from its usual place near the top. Not, of course, for lack of cooking and eating! In fact, so much of my time has been taken up with both these activities the last few weeks that it’s sort of ironic that it’s kept me from blogging. Part of the reason for this, in addition to the usual cookie baking, eggnog drinking, and yuletide haggis feast (your family does that too, right?) is that my husband and I host an annual White Elephant Christmas Party for about 30 of our friends. This may be my favorite tradition of the whole season. We started it when we were newly married, just for fun, and I think about eight people came. Now, nine years later, it’s the biggest event of my year. I start menu planning around Halloween, and prepping and freezing after Thanksgiving. (Someday I’ll write a post about party planning tips/ideas. For now, suffice it to say the top two are Plan Ahead and The Freezer Is Your Friend.) I always provide 8-9 finger food options, as well as a selection of Christmas cookies and one other, more fabulous dessert. Here was this year’s menu:
Crock Pot Barbecue Meatballs
Cherry-Apple-Walnut Chicken Salad Croissants
Mac and Cheese Bites
Puff Pastry Ham Braids with Honey Mustard
Easy Samosas with Mango Chutney
Crudites with White Bean Dip, Tomato Basil Hummus, and Parmesan Ranch
Tortilla Chips with Avocado-Feta Pico de Gallo
Fig and Goat Cheese Bruschetta
While I was happy with the way everything came out, I may have been proudest of the Fig and Goat Cheese Bruschetta. Bursting with flavor from the combination of sweet fig-orange jam with creamy, tangy goat cheese, they definitely make a big impact for such a small appetizer. And look how pretty they are! If these were a fashion accessory, they’d be diamond earrings–small but sparkly. Plus, they’re not too difficult to prep in advance. Make the jam up to three days ahead, then assemble and stick under the broiler for a couple of minutes, and voila! A lovely tiny bite of deliciousness is yours!
As for the rest of the party, my hope is that everyone had a blast. There were certainly some terrible gifts (the more terrible, the better is the idea) and all I can say is I’m glad I didn’t end up with the live goldfish.
And as for you, have a very merry Christmas filled with peace, beauty, and of course lots of wonderful food!
Fig and Goat Cheese Bruschetta
(Adapted from Cooking Light)
Ingredients:
1 1/4 c. chopped dried Mission figs
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. coarsely chopped orange sections
1 tsp. grated orange rind
1/3 c. fresh orange juice (about 1 orange)
1/2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
30 1/2-inch-thick slices French bread baguette
1 1/4 c. crumbled goat cheese
5 tsp. finely chopped walnuts
Directions:
In a small saucepan, combine the first 7 ingredients; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes or until figs are tender. Uncover and cook 5 minutes or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
Preheat broiler.
To assemble bruschetta, top each bread slice with 1 1/2 tsp. fig jam and 1 1/2 tsp. goat cheese. Sprinkle evenly with walnuts. Broil on a cookie sheet for 2 minutes or until nuts begin to brown.
Makes 30 pieces.
Easy Samosas
I could start this post with the confession that these samosas have made people cry. But then I should probably explain that the people were my children, who are 2, 4, and 6, and they cry over anything they deem too spicy. Pretty much all Indian food fits the bill. I want to raise them with adventurous palates, so I keep making spicy foods, but they usually get an alternative if they really, really hate whatever it is. So I guess what I’m trying to say is that these easy Indian apps are genuinely spicy, but I happen to think that’s a good thing. They’re not drain-your-sinuses spicy, or run-to-the-bathroom-to-wash-your-mouth-out spicy (my husband actually did this when we ate Indian in London. One of us was embarrassed…), but they definitely have a kick–hence the side of sweet mango chutney you see in the picture. Oddly enough, I’ve decided to put them on my upcoming Christmas party menu. Samosas might not seem like a traditional choice for a Christmas buffet, but that’s part of their charm for me. I like the idea of the element of surprise in a party menu–good surprise, not dinosaur-popping-out-of-a-cake surprise. Nobody likes that at a Christmas party.
Even if you’re not hosting a party this holiday season, samosas make an unexpected contribution to any potluck. Maybe people will think you secretly have an Indian grandma who makes amazing Eastern cuisine from scratch (if you actually do have such a grandma, disregard this sentence…and let me borrow her). In the potluck world of cocktail meatballs, pigs in blankets, and bags of chips alongside onion dip, you can do better. These savory-spicy pockets of veggie goodness are sure to be a stand-out.
Easy Samosas
(From Real Simple)
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 10-oz bag frozen peas, thawed
2 c. mashed potatoes (store-bought, homemade, or leftover)
1 15-oz. package refrigerated pie crusts
1 jar mango chutney (optional…but I may I suggest Trader Joe’s)
Directions:
Heat oven to 375° F. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the curry powder, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the potatoes and peas.
Unroll the piecrusts and cut each into 6-8 triangles, depending on desired size of samosas. Place a heaping tablespoon of the potato mixture in the center of each piece. Gather the corners of the dough and pinch to form a point. Pinch the seams to seal. Transfer to a baking sheet.
Bake the samosas until golden, 22 to 25 minutes. Serve with the mango chutney, if using.
Caramelized Onion and Apple Pizza
Has this ever happened to you: You have a meal planned for dinner, but something happens and then you don’t end up getting to it until a few days later. You go to start dinner around 5:00, only to realize that in the intervening days, a key ingredient has gone bad! What are you supposed to do? Pack up your three small kids and make a grocery run? Not worth it. Borrow something from a neighbor? In my case, the ingredient was pre-cut butternut squash chunks. I’m close with my neighbors so I wouldn’t mind asking, but I don’t think they’re likely to have any of those lying around. The meal in question was this roasted apple-butternut squash-onion pizza with a white bean puree for the sauce. It sounded really interesting…but, you know, without the butternut squash not quite the same. Faced with this dilemma, I decided it was time to switch gears a little. Having just (almost) finalized my Christmas party menu, which includes these puff pastry apple and caramelized onion bites, they were on my mind. I figured if it works on puff pastry, it’ll work on pizza, right? As a matter of fact, yes! The only thing I really wish I had added was some crumbled bacon. But that would have required a trip to the store…which, again, I wasn’t about to do. Fortunately, even without bacon, this turned out to be a really delicious vegetarian dinner. (But next time, yeah, it’ll include bacon. Here’s even an NPR article about why bacon makes everything better. ‘Nuff said.)
Caramelized Onion and Apple Pizza
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. butter
1 lb. yellow onions, thinly sliced (about 2 medium onions)
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 recipe whole wheat pizza dough (or the bagged Trader Joe’s kind, which is what I always use)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
6 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
2 Tbsp. fresh thyme
Directions:
Make the caramelized onions and apples:
Melt butter in a medium to large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add apples and stir to coat. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are medium brown, about 20-25 minutes.
Prepare the pizza:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.* Spread pizza dough in a greased 10 x 15 in jelly roll pan. Prick dough with a fork and brush with olive oil. Place caramelized onions and apples on the dough, then shredded mozzarella. Sprinkle fresh thyme over top. Bake 8-10 minutes.
Serves 4.
*Note: If using Trader Joe’s bagged pizza dough, I recommend pre-baking at 375 degrees for 9-10 minutes. The dough will remain gooey if not pre-baked.
Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup
As an adult–and even as an aspiring dietitian–I have retained a childish stubbornness about trying certain unfamiliar vegetables. Eggplant, for example, seems like a big-bottomed purple flesh monster. And lima beans could be delicious, for all I know, but I remember hating them as a child, so you bet I’m not touching them with a 39 1/2 foot pole now! Don’t even get me started on collard greens.
Butternut squash is another one that alerts my veggie stranger danger. It never made the meal rotation in my household growing up, so I never ventured to try it in any other context. But in recent years, I’ve tried to swallow my inner protestations and make the effort to tackle some new vegetables, one at a time. As with trying anything else new, some things I end up liking, some things I don’t. (Bok choy, kale, endive, and parsnips, get a thumbs-up. Beets and artichokes, thumbs-down.)
Having done quite a bit of reading in the last year on the wisdom of eating seasonally, I decided butternut squash made the short list for must-try vegetables this fall. Now, having eaten it, I don’t know what I was so apprehensive about! If you’ve never had it, it’s not unlike pumpkin–creamy and a bit nutty. Plus, it contains an off-the-charts level of Vitamin A and is a good source of Vitamin C.
We’ve had this soup twice now. (My husband raved about it the first time, so I made it again a couple of weeks later.) It comes together quite simply, with a velvety texture and noticeable hint of nutmeg. We like it as a main dish with cheesy bread or a salad, but it could also serve as a lovely first course for a dinner party. If nothing else, it’s worth making just for the incredible aroma that will fill your home as it simmers!
Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup
(Slightly adapted from Better Homes and Gardens)
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. butter
3 c. peeled, diced butternut squash
2 c. thinly sliced carrots
3/4 c. diced onion
28 oz. chicken or vegetable broth (homemade makes this especially delicious)
1/4 tsp. ground white or black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 c. half-and-half
Sour cream (optional)
Directions:
In a large stock pot, melt butter over medium heat. Cook squash, carrots, and onions in butter for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add broth. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 25-35 minutes, or until vegetables are very tender.
Using an immersion blender (or in batches in a food processor/blender with a tight-fitting lid), puree the soup until smooth. Return to stock pot. Add pepper and nutmeg; bring just to boiling. Add half-and-half; heat through. Garnish with sour cream, if desired.
Garlic Herb Potato Wedges
If there’s one thing every kid will eat, it’s French fries, right? Or maybe mac and cheese…or pizza…or chocolate cake. (Hmm, this is starting to sound like a list of my favorite foods.) As for French fries, despite their francophile name, they are an all-American staple, especially for little ones. And while I don’t mind the frozen variety, they’ve got nothing on these crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside garlic herb potato wedges. I’ve made them time and again as a pitch-perfect accompaniment to other American classics like meatloaf, barbecue pork, fried chicken, and more. The combination of herbs plus the subtle coating of olive oil make these a craveable side dish for grown-ups and kids alike. Plus, they look way fancier than the Ore-Ida crinkle cut variety that look a little too much like worms for my taste:
Right?
Save the worm fries for Halloween. Make these potato wedges anytime.
Garlic Herb Potato Wedges
(Adapted from About.com)
Ingredients:
4 medium Russet potatoes, scrubbed and rinsed
3-4 Tbsp. olive oil, depending on size of potatoes
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed fine
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a small bowl, combine garlic powder, rosemary, oregano, thyme, paprika, pepper, and salt. Set aside.
Cut each potato in half lengthwise. Cut each half lengthwise into 4 equally sized wedges. Place wedges in a large bowl and toss with olive oil to coat. Sprinkle herb mixture over potatoes and toss again until evenly coated.
Line a sheet pan with foil. Place the potato wedges, skin side down, on the foil, spaced evenly. Bake for 35 minutes or until well browned and crusty edged, turning every 10 minutes.
Serves 8.
