Farro with Beet Greens ♥

Today's vegetable recipe: Beet greens tucked into farro, a high-protein grain.

Setting: Farmers market on a busy Saturday morning, the busiest booth, a line of people behind another shopper and me.

Other Shopper, eyeing a fat bunch of beets: "Will you cut off the greens for me?"

Farmer, eyeing me with a conspiratorial grin: "The greens are the best part. I bet this young lady can tell you how to cook them up fast and easy."

Other Shopper, eyeing me suspiciously, looking decidedly dubious: "How?"

Me, with evangelist fervor: "Just chop the greens up really thin, then sauté with garlic and onion in a little olive oil. They're great."

Other Shopper, obviously disgusted: "She can have my greens."

Sure, go ahead and laugh, the farmer and I did!

But the truth is, greens are overwhelming for many cooks. Even at my house, greens too often go to waste -- a waste of nutrition, of money, of scarce resources. So I'm constantly on the hunt for easy ways to cook fresh greens. Honestly, the recipe I 'cooked' was the stuffed chicken thighs which were good enough but not something to make again. But at the last minute, I tucked the leftover greens into the farro intended as a bed for the chicken -- now farro with beet greens, that's delicious!

WHAT IS FARRO? Farro is also called 'emmer wheat' and is much-appreciated in Italian cuisine. I love with this grain for its nutty and hearty puff. I see it at Trader Joe's and Amazon sells Farro Perlato by La Valletta. In St. Louis, I find farro at Global Foods in Kirkwood, in the rice section at the front of the store. The 'pearled' or 'semi-pearled' farro has some of the husk removed and cooks more quickly.

But -- farro isn't necessary, although wonderful and wonderfully healthful. Stir cooked greens into brown rice or pasta or any other 'hot' starchy something.

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VEGETABLE RECIPES from the ARCHIVES
~ more leafy green recipes ~
~ more grain recipes ~

FARRO with BEET GREENS

Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Time to table: 30 minutes
Serves 4

8 ounces farro

1/2 cup golden raisins soaked in sherry while cooking (optional but nice texture, flavor contrast)
1 pound of beet greens, soaked, rinsed, washed well (they really hold grit in the crevasses so clean very well)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
Salt & pepper to taste

Cook the farro according to the package instructions. Be sure to salt the water well.

Heat the olive oil on MEDIUM HIGH in a large skillet til shimmery. Chop the beet stems and cook along with the garlic. Add the garlic and let cook til just beginning to turn golden.

Stack five or six leaves atop one another, roll into a cigar, then cut cross-wise, as thin as you can. Stir the greens into the skillet, turning to coat with fat. Cover and let cook, stirring often, until greens are fully cooked. Stir in the raisins and cooked farro. If needed, let cook a bit to cook off the liquid. Season to taste. Serve immediately.

NOTE: Even though it cooks down, a whole pound of cooked greens might be too much green for some tastes. Just stir in what seems right, save the rest for tomorrow's salad. Once it's cooked, the greens will hold for a day or more.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
With raisins, Per Serving: 216 Cal (15% from Fat, 13% from Protein, 73% from Carb); 7 g Protein; 4 g Tot Fat; 0 g Sat Fat; 3 g Mono Fat; 40 g Carb; 5 g Fiber; NetCarb35; 13 g Sugar; 143 mg Calcium; 3 mg Iron; 276 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 4 points

Without raisins, Per Serving: 151 Cal (21% from Fat, 17% from Protein, 62% from Carb); 6 g Protein; 4 g Tot Fat; 0 g Sat Fat; 3 g Mono Fat; 24 g Carb; 4 g Fiber; NetCarb20; 1 g Sugar; 133 mg Calcium; 3 mg Iron; 273 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 3 points

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Looking for healthy ways to cook vegetables? A Veggie Venture is home to hundreds of quick, easy and healthful vegetable recipes and the famous Alphabet of Vegetables. Healthy eaters will love the low carb recipes and the Weight Watchers recipes.
© Copyright 2008

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Black Bottom Summer Tarts

I love going to a pot-luck party. In addition to good drinks, karaoke, and fun friends, I get a chance to make a really sinfully fattening recipe that I can share with others instead of eating it all myself.

This was just the perfect dessert for sharing! It has a somewhat crunchy and slightly salty chocolate shell. The filling tastes sweet from the fresh whipped cream and has a note of cream cheese. The two flavors combine and create a light-textured, decadent layer of goodness. I used fresh strawberries for a beautiful presentation, and they were bursting with the flavor of summer that matched the fruity aroma.

My inspiration for this dish came while sitting in the waiting area of my doctor's office, leafing through the pages of the May issue of Martha Stewart Living. The original recipe would have been too fancy for the event, and I wondered if it would melt on a hot day without refrigeration. So I made some changes, doing a take on the Mascarpone Cream that I've used in other recipes.

The crust is just as easily rolled out and cut into cookies that can be topped with the filling and berries. It makes for a beautiful, individual treat.




By the way, this dessert was a big hit and was the first to completely disappear from the dessert table. That's quite an accomplishment because this particular annual crowd tends to focus on the clams, ribs, burgers, and hot dogs, and doesn't tend to feast on the sweets.


Black Bottom Summer Tarts
Chocolate crust adapted from Martha Stewart Living

Yield: 2 tarts

For the crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
8 ounces (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup ice water

For the Filling:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
12 oz cream cheese - softened
1/2 cup sugar
fresh strawberries

Make the crust:
Place the flour, cocoa, sugar, salt, and butter in a food processor and pulse until combined. The butter will appear as a crumbly meal. Turn the machine on (no pulse) and pour the water through the top in a slow, steady stream. The dough will start to hold together in places. You can turn off the machine and test the dough. While it looks crumbly, like in the picture below, it will hold it's shape if you clump it together in your hand.

On a lightly floured work surface, shape dough into 2 disks, and wrap each in plastic. Each disk will be enough for one tart in a 9 x 9 pan. Refrigerate the dough until firm, at least 30 minutes (or up to 3 days).

When you are ready to work with the dough, preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 disk of dough between wax paper. Don't worry if you can't form a square, you can trim the excess off later. The dough should be 1/4" thick.

Remove one sheet of wax paper and transfer the dough to the pan.

Remove the other sheet of wax paper and press the dough into the corners of the pan. Trim off the excess dough. If there's enough, you can make cookies with the excess!

Poke the dough that is in the pan with a fork. Then cover it with either parchment paper or oil-sprayed aluminum-foil and with the top down with dried beans. By weighing it down, the crust won't rise and bubble up as it bakes.

Bake until edges are dry, about 15 minutes. Remove weights and parchment. Bake until just darkened, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely in pans on wire racks. Here's what it should look like:

Make the filling:
Pour the cold cream into a medium-size metal bowl. Beat the cream on high speed, so that it whips up firm. Add the softened cream cheese and sugar to the bowl and beat on high again to blend and maintain the whip.

Spread the filling into the tart using a rubber spatula.

Decorate with strawberry fans, or sliced strawberries.

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Almonnaise - Vegan Mayonnaise Recipe ♥

Today's vegetable recipe: A spread with the consistency of mayonnaise. Made with toasted almonds, garlic, vinegar, olive oil and optional fresh herbs. Can be used as a vegan mayonnaise but useful for omnivores too. Low carb.

The summer I stopped eating meat, it was more on a whim than with a plan. A friend's pointed question had forced the realization that more meat passed my lips than realized: a chicken sandwich for lunch, a steak on the weekend, they add up unless paying close attention. Within just a few days, I was lost. Many of my favorite recipes were no longer relevant. I didn't know where to turn.

It's hard to believe, yes? But this was not only before the Internet, it was also before there were bookstores on every corner. I was already shopping at Store #2 or #3 of a small company called Whole Foods but it was a hippy-dippy place then, a resource for only the most motivated and educated cooks. Anyone care to guess the year? It wasn't that long ago. :-)

A few weeks later, my cousin Laura, a long-time vegan, pressed a cookbook into my hands. "You need this," she said. "It'll help." It was her own copy of The American Vegetarian Cookbook from the Fit for Life Kitchen by Marilyn Diamond, many pages penciled with notes. What a gift! For eight years, it was my only cookbook and my own notes far outnumber hers.

(Note to Vegetarians)

When I began to eat meat again, more mindfully this time, it was as an occasional food, once or twice a week. I put Laura's cookbook away. Especially as food magazines began to feature more and more vegetarian meals, it just wasn't necessary.

But a few weeks ago, when Lisa from Show-Me Vegan and Nupur from One Hot Stove were coming for supper, I wanted to make a seven-layer salad suitable for those who don't eat meat, eggs or dairy. It was easy enough to leave out the bacon and sliced eggs but the gorgeous Buttermilk Garlic Salad Dressing wasn't vegan either.

So I made a simpler, fresher version of the cookbook's vegan substitute for mayonnaise, one that starts with almonds. My notes read, '#1 - Wow. Especially with cilantro' and '#2 fresh dill' and '#3 dried dill' and '#4 cinnamon!'. Clearly this was a winner.

And sure enough, it is, it STILL is. And yes, this almonnaise is vegan. But it's also its own category of sauce that's entirely plant-based but has the consistency of mayonnaise. I served it last week -- there's irony here, yes? -- spread on rolls for BLTs. It's just delicious. I'd recommend it to anyone who plain likes good food, vegan, omnivore or otherwise.

"No meat, no eggs, no dairy. It's not just for vegans anymore."

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IDEAS for using ALMONNAISE
~ Green Beans with Mayo-Soy Sauce ~
~ Chipotle Chickpea Salad ~
~ Summer Dill Salad ~

~ more Dips, Spreads & Pestos ~

ALMONNAISE

Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Time to table: 15 minutes
Makes 1 cup

3/4 cup (2 ounces) sliced almonds with skins on
1/2 cup soymilk (can also use water)
1 clove garlic
3 tablespoons good vinegar (I used sherry vinegar)
4 tablespoons olive oil
Optional: 1 bunch of fresh cilantro or other herbs
Salt & pepper to taste

In a small skillet, toast the almonds until golden brown, stirring often and watching very carefully so not to burn. Combine almonds, soymilk, garlic and vinegar in a food processor until smooth. (The skins make this quite grainy, not the smooth consistency of mayonnaise. But they add both flavor and fiber and thus are a good thing, to my taste anyway.) With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl in a thin stream, letting the mixture slowly gain volume. Once it becomes light and fluffy, add the cilantro or other herbs. Season to taste. Will become thicker once refrigerated.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Tablespoon: 54 Cal (84% from Fat, 8% from Protein, 8% from Carb); 1 g Protein; 5 g Tot Fat; 1 g Sat Fat; 4 g Mono Fat; 1 g Carb; 1 g Fiber; 0 g Sugar; 11 mg Calcium; 0 mg Iron; 3 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 1 point

Per Two Tablespoons: 109 Cal (84% from Fat, 8% from Protein, 8% from Carb); 2 g Protein; 11 g Tot Fat; 1 g Sat Fat; 7 g Mono Fat; 2 g Carb; 1 g Fiber; 1 g Sugar; 22 mg Calcium; 0 mg Iron; 5 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 3 points

PRINT JUST A RECIPE! Now you can print a recipe without wasting ink and paper on the header and sidebar. Here's how.

NEVER MISS A RECIPE! For 'home delivery' of new recipes from A Veggie Venture, sign up here. Once you do, new recipes will be delivered, automatically, straight to your e-mail In Box.

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Looking for healthy ways to cook vegetables? A Veggie Venture is home to hundreds of quick, easy and healthful vegetable recipes and the famous Alphabet of Vegetables. Healthy eaters will love the low carb recipes and the Weight Watchers recipes.
© Copyright 2008

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Luscious Light Panna Cotta with Honey and Berry Coulis

I've been dying to try making a panna cotta lately. It always looks so beautiful when I see it on TV. Often it is lying in a bed of sauce, holding it's shape and looking very creamy and edible. I had a frozen one that I bought at Trader Joe's once, and might I say that it was pretty awesome, and not as delicate as I had imagined.

Panna Cotta has been sitting on my "to make" list, and when the time was right I began looking for a recipe. I was more than a little bit shocked when I saw the typical amount of heavy cream that most recipes had. What about those yogurt panna cotta recipes that I saw on cooking shows in the past? Did they have that much cream?

I changed my search criteria to yogurt panna cotta. But once again, the amount of heavy cream in these recipes had me a little amazed. Don't get me wrong. I'm a big fan of cream. But I am also a big fan of not gaining any weight right now, so those recipes were just out of the question. Besides, my husband just lost about 90 lbs. by counting points, and it just wouldn't be right for me to have such a rich, luscious dessert in the fridge.

So, once again, I changed my search criteria to "light panna cotta" and I found this recipe, on Serious Eats. It was encouraging! I had to make it.

Instead of whole milk Greek yogurt, it called for fat free. I decided to live wild, and used 2% instead. Instead of heavy cream, it used fat free milk and buttermilk. I had to try it.

Well, it is a delightful low-calorie and low fat dessert. It is much more delicate than the heavy, frozen Trader Joe's version. It is actually more like what I was expecting. Yet it is creamy and has a light flavor, to which I added some vanilla. Can you see the specs in the picture?

Well, I have never used a vanilla bean. I'm sure what I did could be improved upon, but I took the vanilla bean out of my vanilla extract and put the seeds into the panna cotta. When it was all said and done, I ordered "unused" vanilla beans, but they have yet to arrive at my door.

And my unwavering point-counting husband? He loved it! Heck, he actually ate it! That made me so happy. And he ate it again the next day, too.

There are two ways to serve panna cotta. The easy way is in the ramekin, such as the opening photo to this post. But I had to try the other way, the elegant way. I tried removing it from the ramekin. Here were the results:

Honestly, I thought it was just fine in the ramekin! It was very risky and difficult to remove from the ramekin. You have to dip the ramekin in very hot water. But when I did that, some of my panna cotta melted and I had an ugly mess that I had to clean up for the photo. Note to self: next time leave it in the ramekin or even use a campaign glass instead.

Because this was my first panna cotta, I didn't mess with the recipe much, other than my vanilla thing and the 2% yogurt. From here, I see more panna cottas in my future, and a delivery of vanilla beans to make them with.

By the way, if you are using Fage Greek Yogurt, be aware that this container below looks like a perfect cup, but it is not! You will need all of it, plus some of another of the same sized container.

Without further ado, here's the recipe:

Luscious Light Panna Cottas with Honey
Adapted from Lucy Baker of Serious Eats

(who Adapted from Food & Wine magazine )

1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1 tablespoon water
1 cup fat-free milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup low-fat buttermilk (I used the powdered kind that you get in the baking isle)
1 cup 2% Greek yogurt
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

honey for drizzling and garnish
Berry Coulis for drizzling and garnish

In a small bowl, mix the gelatin with the water. Let stand for 5 minutes to soften it.

Remove the seeds from the vanilla pod by sliding the blade of the knife (apparently I should have used the back side of my knife - live and learn). The seeds will collect on the knife.

In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a simmer with the sugar and vanilla seeds. Cook until the sugar is dissolved, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the softened gelatin until dissolved.

In a medium bowl, whisk the buttermilk with the yogurt until smooth. Note: if you are using the buttermilk powder, you need to follow the package directions and hydrate it!

Whisk the warm milk mixture into the yogurt and buttermilk.

As you pour the panna cotta mixture into six (4-ounce) ramekins, pass it through a sieve to catch any clumps.



Even though I had really mixed well, I still had clumps, so I was glad I did that step.

The panna cotta will be set in about 3 hours, but I preferred the texture and flavor the next day.

To serve, drizzle with honey and Berry Coulis. You could try removing the panna cotta and placing it on a plate, but I don't think it's worth it!

- makes 6 servings -

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Old-Fashioned Green Tomato Pie ♥ Old Farm Recipe

Today's vegetable recipe: An old-fashioned country green-tomato pie, sweet not savory.

Last fall I spent an evening with a group of smart, successful, tuned-in, connected and world-traveling folks. Somehow, the talk turned to strawberries and someone complained that lately, strawberries were 'expensive' and 'not that good'. (Strawberries in October? Well yes, if you live in the southern hemisphere!) I broached the idea of the 'locavore' movement, the '100-mile diet' (want to know your 100-mile radius? try this 100-mile calculator) and the concept of eating seasonally -- all greeted with mostly blank looks. The strawberry-buyer (who's also a year-round blueberry- and apple-buyer) asked with a look of dubiousness, "What would we eat, in the winter?"

That's the question, isn't it? Our worldwide food distribution system masks the seasonality of fresh produce. Because strawberries are sold year-round, this otherwise smart, savvy person had no understanding that there's a brief spring window for strawberries, when they taste best, are most plentiful and least costly. And when the 'real' strawberry season ends, a seasonal eater moves onto the next seasonal something, grateful for both.

As I peeled the tomatoes for this old-fashioned green tomato pie, I realized how perfectly it exemplifies the concept of eating seasonally. In the Midwest at the first of July, the rhubarb and strawberries are past, the peaches not quite ripe, the apples still green. But we do have green tomatoes -- let's make pie!
Keep Reading ->>>

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Berry Coulis

So fruity and sweet, your taste buds will completely come to life when they meet this berry coulis. This is the perfect topping for ice cream, yogurt, or panna cotta, or even angel food cake.

Whatever the dessert, it can make it look fancy and special. Especially by adding it to a squeeze bottle so you can make cool designs or cute little dots on the plate. People will be impressed by your dessert accomplishment.

The original recipe called for 2 1/2 cups fresh berries. Fresh berries are great, but I used these frozen ones (the entire bag) that I had in my freezer:




The frozen berries worked out great. Even Joe couldn't get enough of the berry coulis on the light panna cotta I made.




Berry Coulis
Adapted from Cooking Live
(courtesy of Gourmet Magazine)

2 1/2 cups fresh raspberries (or frozen - the package pictured above is the perfect size)
1/4 cup sugar (or more to taste)
the juice of 1/2 lemon

Puree raspberries with sugar and lemon juice in a blender or food processor.

Taste the mixture and make sure it is sweetened to your liking. When it's right, pour portions of it into a sieve placed over a bowl. You want the sieve to catch all the seeds and let the liquid go through to the bowl on the bottom. But the mixture will be thick and will need your help.

You will need to push the liquid down with a plastic spatula and move the seeds around in the sieve to make room for the liquid to get past. Be persistent!

Your work will pay off by leaving all these seeds behind. And who likes to crunch on seeds? Not me!



Keep the coulis chilled.

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Tangy Bistro-Style Chicken

We are going through quite a hot and sticky spell here in my part of country. So When I searched for a recipe for the chicken I had bought, I wanted one that didn't require baking and heating up my kitchen.

Since I had most of the ingredients on hand, I went for it, and I'm pleased with the results. The dish doesn't take long to make and tastes great. The mustard gives it a good tang and I love the hint of sweetness added by the applesauce.

As for cooking time, you can lessen it by flattening the breasts before cooking them. If I were to do this, I'd put them between layers of plastic wrap and go at it with a mallet or tenderizer.

I decided to serve it on couscous, at the advice of one of the cooks who commented on the original recipe. Before my adjustments, many people who had made the recipe commented that the sauce was to thin. This particular cook liked the couscous because it sops up the sauce. My sauce is thicker, but the couscous, as opposed to potatoes, didn't heat up my kitchen and it's as easy as could be to make!

By the way, I had Trader Joe's whole wheat couscous. All you have to do is boil some water and butter, turn off the heat, and add the couscous. Then you cover it for 5 minutes and it's done!

There were quite a few cooks who really enjoyed this dish over mashed potatoes. If it weren't so hot outside, I probably would have roasted the potatoes and smashed them, instead of mashing them. I bet that would have been really tasty!

Tangy Bistro-Style Chicken
Adapted from Epicurious, Nightly Specials

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
8-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breasts
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup chopped shallots
1/2 cup brandy
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard (I used whole grain)
1 cup chicken stock
1 (4 oz) cup of unsweetened apple sauce
1/3 cup light cream
3 tablespoons minced fresh chives

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.

Melt the butter in a pan on medium-high heat and add the chicken breasts. Brown them on each side for 6-8 minutes. Check for doneness. I check by cutting into the breast on the underside in the thickest part. More experienced chefs say that they can tell by the chicken being firm to the touch and the juices running clear. But I just don't trust that, personally.

When the chicken is done, transfer it to a covered dish to keep it warm.

Add a little olive oil or butter to the pan if there is not enough left after removing the chicken. Add the shallots and sauté for a couple of minutes, until the shallots begin to brown.

Take the pan off the stove, and away from the flame to add the brandy. By doing this, you are avoiding the brandy turning into a flambe! If, by some chance during cooking the brandy were to catch fire, you can cover it with a pot lid.

Turn the flame down to low and return it to the burner. Keep an eye on it, watching for flame, and let the brandy evaporate over low heat.

Add the wine to the pan, raise the heat to high, and bring it to a boil.

Whisk in the mustard and the apple sauce, and let reduce for 1 minute. Pour in the broth and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more.

Turn up the flame and cook for about minutes so that some of the liquid reduces and the sauce becomes thicker.

Add the cream and bring the mixture to a boil. Then, stir in the chives and return the chicken breasts to the pan.

Serve the chicken with either couscous, rice, pasta or mashed potatoes. Garnish with more fresh chives and red pepper. The red pepper and chives added a lot to the presentation here, because everything was the same color.

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