Uh-oh

Matt’s out of town for a few days. Can I do this without him while I feel like I’m starving? Third trimester hit PRETTY hard in the last few days and all I want to do is eat. How many peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwiches in one day are bad for me?

Week 2: Chronicles from Jan 15, 2012

Dinners:
Sunday:
Cuban Black-Bean Stew with Rice (again from Martha Stewart – simple but remarkably good and totally satisfying)
*Used brown basmati cooked in 2 water:1 coconut milk
Green Salad with Vegan Ranch
Dessert! Vegan Chocolate Cake & homemade chocolate coconut ice cream

Monday:
Tacos – yes, just tacos. It must have been a bad day, but everyone ate it WITHOUT complaining. Miraculous.
WF Organic Blue Corn Taco shells
Toppings: homemade refried black beans, Smart Ground crumbles with Frontier taco seasoning (first try for the crumbles, and eh, not sure I’m a fan), homemade salsa, guacamole, cilantro, onions, lettuce, and cheese for the littles.

Tuesday:
Big Curry Noodle Pot as found on Dana Treat’s Blog
Her’s looks tastier than mine did, and probably was, since mine seemed EXTRA saucy (I know, it’s only fitting). This was tasty, lacking a bit on strong flavors, but the kids both ate it well and Z actually wanted “more” (I put it in quotes because she has this saucy way of saying it as she puckers her lips that’s very cute). To boost the meal factor a bit, added a sliced red pepper when sauteing the onions and added a head of steamed cauliflower when adding the tofu. In hindsight, adding the cauliflower then was too early and overcooked it, so I’d probably add just a few minutes before the noodles. I didn’t much care for the shallots, but did like the addition of lime wedges. For a GF option, rice sticks could easily replace the udon. And if, like us, you usually have leftovers, I might keep the noodles separate from the rest of it.
And a smoothie, a really green one to finish off some spinach.

Wednesday:
Matt was out of town tonight and we had an HOA meeting and I was cranky. So, we did breakfast.
Oven baked hashbrowns that were not tasty
Toast
Morningstar Farms Veggie Sausage
Sauteed onions, orange pepper, mushrooms, broccoli & tomatoes
Scrambled eggs with cheese for the munchkins
Smoothie – spinach, strawberries, pineapple, banana, clementines

Thursday:
Stir-fry night (this is one of my son’s all-time favorite dishes), recipe below
Brown Rice

Friday:
Date Night! Thai food and am I ever sick of tofu? Okay, give me a week to recover, but I think soup is definitely on the menu for the next few days. Too bad the kids won’t eat it …

Saturday:
Dare I admit? Peanut Butter toast and a smoothie. Yowsers.

Our Stir-fry recipe
Serves 4-6
2 T chopped fresh ginger
2 large cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 c water or veggie broth
1 1/2 T soy sauce
1 T cornstarch
1 t salt
1 t sugar, honey or agave nectar (I’ve used all three)
1/2 t red pepper flakes
1/2 t black pepper
vegetable oil
1 package extra-firm tofu
lots chopped of vegetables (tonight: 3 carrots, 2 stalks celery, half package mushrooms, bunch broccoli (including peeled stalks), 1 bunch bok choy)
Other good ones: peppers, onions, any Asian green or cabbage, green beans, baby corn, larger sprouts)
big handful of cashews
In a blender or small food processor, process ginger, garlic, water or broth, soy sauce, cornstarch, salt, sweetener, red pepper, black pepper. Heat oil in large skillet over med-high heat. Saute tofu and things like celery, peppers, mushrooms, onions until water has evaporated and vegetables begin to soften. Meanwhile, steam harder vegetables, like carrots and broccoli until just shy of cooked, and add to tofu mixture and continue cooking. Add greens – bok choy, cabbage, kale – or sprouts and cashews, and pour sauce over the top, cooking until greens begin to soften and sauce thickens, but not too long – just a few minutes. Serve over brown rice.

Our Favorite Granola

Breakfast changes only slightly when taking out the dairy, eggs and meat. Yes, we do generally enjoy bacon, but it’s not permitted in the experiment, we’ve lost some traditional variety. That said, a normal breakfast is oatmeal or cereal or toast with lots of fruit or fresh juice and generally, that’s more than sufficient.

One of our favorite things, at least for the grown-ups, is our favorite granola. I’ve tried several different recipes and maybe I just don’t have the touch I need to make amazing granolas, but I’m over it since we like this one so much. I don’t add dried fruit since I’d rather put on fresh fruit. I figure I can always add raisins if I need to, but between Costco and Bountiful Baskets, we’re usually in full supply of berries and bananas. I’ve even put pears on it and loved it.

Note: For the butter, I’ve started experimenting with substituting coconut oil. The last batch was 4T butter and 2T coconut oil, affected only by seeming slightly less browned at the end of baking. We’ll see what increased substitutions do or you can let me know.

Coconut Almond Granola
yield: just over 1/2 gallon (I usually snack on enough while it’s cooling that it fits nicely in a 1/2 gallon jar)
1 1/2 c. quick oats
1 1/2 c. rolled oats
1 1/3 c. chopped raw almonds
3/4 c. unsweetened shredded coconut
3/4 c. chopped cashews
1/2 c. brown sugar (use what you have since I haven’t figured out the “alternative” sugars yet)
Optional: handful of pumpkin, sunflower or sesame seeds, some flaxseed meal
1 t. ground allspice
2 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
6 T. butter (see note)
3 T honey
1 t. coconut extract
3/4 t. almond extract

Preheat oven to 300F. Mix together all ingredients, oats through cinnamon in a large bowl. In a small pan over medium heat, melt together the butter (coconut oil) and honey. Remove from heat when combined and stir in extracts. Pour honey mixture over the oat mixture and stir to combine thoroughly. Bake on a half sheet pan for 45 minutes, stirring at 20 minutes and 35 minutes (I just set my timer for 20/15/10 minute intervals). Let cool and store in a sealed container until it’s gone or bad, hopefully until it’s gone.

My kids love it with fruit and yogurt, and I have it with almond milk and fruit (or just plain). Matt eats it just about any way he can get it.

Week 1: Chronicles from Jan 8, 2012

Technically, this was our first full week, but we started this adventure on the 3rd. Unfortunately, I didn’t keep a log and I wasn’t completely on board. So, here is how we ate for dinner the first full week. Breakfasts were easy – Oatmeal, toast, granola, or juice – lots of juice! Last night as we made pineapple, carrot, orange, ginger juice and Matt asked me why we hadn’t gotten a good juicer before now and I just groaned. But, I give him credit for being overly cautious on investments that could be wasted (I’m not the only one with wasted kitchen gadgets, right?)
Dinners:
Sunday:
Minestrone
Salad w/balsamic & olive oil
Roasted garlic bread from Costco dipped in balsamic/olive oil
Smoothie with spinach and other fruits

Monday:
Baked refried bean, rice, & corn flautas
Guacamole
Lettuce and Veggie Salad w/vegan ranch (super delicious recipe)
Vegan Chocolate Cake (Moosewood Collection Cookbook – but I didn’t bake long enough, though the edges were super tasty)

Tuesday:
Dr. Praeger’s California Veggie Burgers on whole wheat buns with lettuce, onion, tomato, vegenaise & homemade ketchup
Russet & Sweet potato fries – Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper & garlic powder, 30-40 minutes at 425-450 degrees, flipping fries halfway through
Steamed Broccoli with TJ’s lemon pepper grinder & fake butter (still not my favorite)
Smoothie – the lime sort of ruined it

Wednesday:
Marinated Tofu with Cold Peanut Noodles (treated it like a salad, much like soba salad from Sage’s) – recipe from Martha Stewart here
Substituted cabbage for pea shoots and cutting the jicama and radishes was a bit fussy – the whole thing was a bit fussy with two sauces, but both were good. I wasn’t a huge fan of the marinated tofu, but we’ll see how it is tomorrow after it marinates overnight. Also, didn’t check noodles for eggs until right before eating – had egg whites, but we didn’t worry too much about it. Worth paying attention to next time.

Thursday:
Salad with vegan ranch – yum! Carrots, cukes, toasted sliced almonds, scallions, lettuce, last of the lima beans
Roasted garlic bread with oil/balsamic (thank goodness Costco restocked with Balsamic this week!)
Rigatoni with roasted garden vegetable sauce from this summer’s garden (roasted peppers (hot & sweet), tomatoes, garlic, onions, chives, oregano, etc. roasted until soft, pureed and frozen)
Parmesan (optional)

Friday:
Date Night! (Himalayan Kitchen for Nepalese and Indian food)
Kids get quesadillas, salsa/sour cream mix, oranges & grapes

Saturday was car shopping – ALL DAY!
Leftovers way too late at night for everyone and now we have a fridge full of produce and nothing prepared. YIKES! Don’t worry, I have beans in the crock pot.

My Minestrone:
Olive Oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 15 oz can beans, mostly mashed
2 medium-large yukon gold potatoes, chopped in small cubes
2 c. lima beans (1 c. dried cooked with 2×3 in kombu + 1 T salt for about 1 hour)
1 28 oz can whole tomatoes
parmesan rind, chopped
1 cube Rapunzel Vegetable bouillon cube
2 handfuls frozen green beans
2 handfuls chopped cabbage
about 1/4 c. chopped parsley
1/2 – 1 T Braggs liquid aminos
Salt & Pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan (optional)
Saute onion, carrots & celery in olive oil until soft. Add to slow cooker with beans, potatoes, tomatoes, parmesan, bouillon & water to cover. Cook on high or low, depending on how long you have. I started with high, put it on low during church, cranked back up to high when I got home. Add green beans, cabbage and parsley in the last hour or so. Add liquid aminos and salt and pepper to taste. Optional – serve with grated Parmesan.

Baked taquitos/flautas:
Homemade refried pinto beans: sauteed about 1 c. (1 medium) diced onion in 3-4 T olive oil until soft. Added 1 T cumin, cooked for 1 minute, then added about 3 c. leftover pintos from last week’s burritos, reserving the cooking liquid. Mash beans and let cook until starting to dry. Add about 1 c. cooking liquid and cook until soft. Add a dash of cayenne. Added 2-3 T leftover diced scallion.
For Flautas:
Mix bean mixture with some rice, don’t know how much, maybe 1/2 -1 c. depending on needs.
Spread about 2-3 T (or whatever looks good) on lower third of tortilla, top with a bit of corn or other veggies (peppers?), and roll up. Make as many as you need or have beans for. I added cheese to the kids ones.
Brush on or spray finished rolls with oil. Bake on a lined/greased cookie sheet at 425 for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
For Guacamole:
3 avocados
1/2 onion, diced
1-2 diced tomatoes, depending on size
Juice of at least one lime
Dollop of sour cream
salt
pepper

Vegan Ranch: This was really good, rivaling even BYU Ranch
Ingredients:
1 cup vegan mayonnaise
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 scallion, chopped
1 pretty small handful fresh chopped parsley
1/2 tsp fresh chopped dill or 1/4 tsp dried

Toss all in mini-food processor (blender is too big & powerful), and whizz up until chopped and mixed.
Yield: Just over 1 cup

“Almost-vegan”: A brief introduction

Can we just call this a journal for now? I will hopefully take the time to explain this in the future, but for now, suffice to say, we are participating in a small-scale experiment. So small, it includes only our friends and ourselves and we’re the only ones tracking the results. But since it affects us directly, we are heavily invested in it.

As I type this, my almost 21-month-old is demanding hugs while sitting on my lap as I try not to push her off with my 6 1/2 month pregnant belly. Normal people wouldn’t try this kind of an experiment in this condition, but apparently I’m a pushover, especially since our friends just had their sixth child, so who am I to complain at the complexity of this.

Our experiment is a combination of the Word of Widsom (Doctrine & Covenants 89) and The China Study. If you’ve seen Forks over Knives, that’s an abbreviated synopsis of the China Study, and the Word of Wisdom is the LDS code of “Health”. We’re focusing on this part:

10 And again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man—

11 Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving.

12 Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly;

13 And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.

14 All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, and all wild animals that run or creep on the earth;

15 And these hath God made for the use of man only in times of famine and excess of hunger.

16 All grain is good for the food of man; as also the fruit of the vine; that which yieldeth fruit, whether in the ground or above the ground—

You can call us crazy, we’re totally cool with that, and it might be a too extreme for most people, but I’m also okay with that. So, the chronicles that follow will not be collections of fabulous recipes full of wonderful things as most people conventionally know them, but are being kept more for my sake as a log of what we’re eating for those weeks I couldn’t possibly come up with something new or want to think about dinner.

And no, we generally don’t call ourselves vegan, because we’re not. We added a dollop of sour cream to last night’s guacamole to make it a bit smoother, but that was all the animal products you would have found. We’re just trying to minimize our use of animal products. And I’m not going as strict as Matt (in my condition), and the kids aren’t even coming close, though they do generally eat what we do for dinner and we’ve taken milk mostly out of their diets as we find they’re less congested without it and there are plenty of good substitutes.

I will probably wax philosophical in the future about the ideas behind our decisions, but time is forcing me to stop and leave et my son from school right now and to stop here.

Total Cheater – Make your own

I would love to think that I could compile my resources and make my own awesome list for you to follow (by you, I mean me, which is why I am posting it so I don’t lose it). But I’m not that good.

But this blogger is. A list with links to recipes on everything she makes herself. I love people who are willing to do the work for me.

Homemade Substitutes for Grocery Staples

Now, if only I can get my act together and start making some stuff. Probably not though.

Inspiration – and overnight cinnamon rolls

Sometimes, late on a Saturday night, the need arises to have cinnamon rolls ready for a 9am class for the Young Women at church on Sunday. And then sometimes, the 5-minute bread dough supply is painfully lacking, and one has to start from scratch. So, we improvise, and were thus inspired. Here, the rundown on my overnight cinnamon rolls which were, quite honestly, delicious and now gone.

All that was left this morning

I used my sister’s Rustic Italian Bread recipe – because it’s super quick and pretty good, especially in a pinch. But since I was teaching about financial responsibility – which includes provident living and food storage – and because I like it, I wanted some whole wheat flour to be involved. Fortunately, I’ve been perusing the “Healthy Bread in 5-Minutes a Day” from the library (on the Christmas list, Honey!), which helped me figure out how to use my vital wheat gluten to get the dough to have whole wheat and still be happy. In case you’re wondering, at least mine calls for 1 1/2 t. vital wheat gluten per cup of whole wheat flour.

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
yield – 8×8 baking pan

Dough:
1 c warm water (105F – 115F)
2 1/4 t active dry yeast
high elevation 1 1/2 t active dry yeast
1 1/2 to 2 c all-purpose flour
1 c whole wheat flour (use more if you want and have gluten, or less if you’re dropping the kids off after feeding them – insulin spike!!)
1 1/2 t vital wheat gluten (optional, but it makes it lighter)
3/4 t salt

Filling: (approximate measurements, would be lovely with other flavors substituted in also!)
1/4 c butter, softened
Brown sugar
white sugar
cinnamon

Butter 8×8 baking dish.

Place warm water in a large bowl. Sprinkle yeast over water. Let stand 5 minutes or until yeast is dissolved. Add 1 cup flour and salt. Mix well until blended. Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. [Alternatively, dissolve yeast in KitchenAid then proceed to mix in the flour and knead for about 3-4 minutes on 2, skipping the following hand kneading.]

Knead dough on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, 6-8 minutes.

Place dough in a buttered bowl, turning dough to butter top. Cover; let rise until almost double in size, 30-45 minutes.

Roll dough out until it is a large rectangle (I did this on my silpat so I didn’t have to deal with flouring the board and having it stick to everything). The bigger and thinner you roll it, the more swirls you’ll have in your rolls. Spread butter all over the dough, leaving about 1/2 inch margin on bottom end, sprinkle with brown sugar. Mix together cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle over the brown sugar (I never said these were healthy, just tasty). Roll dough up and pinch dough together; slice into 9 or so rolls (I made a double batch so I’m guessing on the number). This is most easily done using dental floss. Snuggle those rolls together in the baking dish, cover and pop in the fridge.

In the morning, pull baking dish out of the fridge and in the same move, turn on the oven to 375F. Preheat the oven for 20 minutes, then pop the whole thing (sans plastic wrap, of course) in the oven for 35-ish minutes. When the tops are golden and lovely, remove from the oven. Voila – BREAKFAST!!!

Glaze with your favorite (or easiest) glaze. I used 3T softened cream cheese, 3T of milk, and 1 1/2 c powdered sugar mixed together and drizzled over the top.

Note: This recipe can be easily doubled, just don’t completely double the yeast. I usually use 2 1/2 t instead of 1 1/2 (at 5000 feet). There may be a “better” recipe out there, but this was just so easy that I probably won’t go for anything more complicated anytime soon.

Winter Roasted Root Vegetables

This recipe was super yummy and oh-so-easy. Great way to get your veggies, still yummy for lunch the next day. Give it a try, you’ll be happy you did.

Winter Roasted Root Vegetables

–2 pounds carrots
–2 pounds rutabagas (I used yams instead)
–2 pounds parsnips
–1/2 cup chopped parsley (I skipped this)
–3 T olive oil
–1 tsp kosher salt
–1 tsp black pepper

The Directions.

This is enough food to feed about 12. I used the 6.5 quart crockpot. Peel all of your vegetables, and cut into 2-inch chunks. Put all the vegetables into your crockpot, and add the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss with your hands to coat fully coat the vegetables.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4-5. The vegetables are done when they have reached desired tenderness.

Recipe thanks to Crockpot 365.

Here’s a pic, though I know it’s not great, at least I took one.

Marmalade Madness (and Muffins)

Jen here!  I guess we’ve all taken a break this summer and have been busy doing whatever it is that we’ve been doing.  Actually Amanda and Erika have been busy mommies with new little ones, and I’ve been a busy mommy with my bigger ones.  But, since we took the summer off from school (even though we’re homeschooling, it’s easier for us to follow the public school schedule right now), I made a lot of preserves, jams and marmalades.

I remember reading cookbooks and dreaming about making marmalade someday, but it always seemed too bothersome.  (Don’t you read cookbooks and dream about cooking the recipes?  I often judge a cookbook by its readability: Can I read it for pleasure, before bed?) Once I learned how to make jam last summer, amazing marmalade doors have been opened.  I realized that I didn’t have to find Seville Oranges and do tricky things that required lots of time and fiddling.

Right now, I have multiple marmalades on my shelves.

I have orange marmalade from Alton Brown’s recipe that’s more like wonderful orange candy in a jar, than anything else.

I made a Meyer lemon marmalade that took advantage of the lovely Meyer lemons that grow beautifully in my parents’ and my in-laws’ backyards.

After my mom stayed with us this spring, I had a Costco bag of limes left in my fridge and made lime marmalade (this isn’t the blog I found before, but the technique is the same – quick and easy – using the food processor for it all).

I also have blueberry orange marmalade (this recipe is from The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving by Ellie Topp and Margaret Howard),

peach marmalade (we have a productive peach tree in our backyard); and

cherry marmalade (this recipe is from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving edited by Judi Kingry and Lauren Devine).  This cherry marmalade is my hands-down favorite.

I’m sure that I will try many more kinds of marmalade and fruit and time allow.  (As defined in my Small-Batch Preserving book, a “marmalade is a jam made from citrus fruit.  Marmalades generally do not have pectin added since citrus rinds and seeds contain enough pectin to form a soft gel.”)

But, as any jam-making addict knows, you end up with surplus.  You can’t possibly eat all you’ve canned, but you want to make more.  (This three citrus marmalade sounds really wonderful. Do I have room on my shelves for more?) So, I’m working on finding ways to consume my jams in creative ways.  Amanda already suggested stirring into yogurt, which is a wonderful suggestion, if I start eating yogurt on a regular basis.  I’m sure I can add them to smoothies, once I start eating those again.  Yes, I do put them on toast, but I don’t have time or appetite to eat that much toast.

Back to my excellent Small Batch Preserving book.  There are many reasons this is a wonderful book.  First, is the whole “small batch” aspect, because canning things in large volume terrified me when I started.  Next, the recipes are different from the Ball Complete Book.  The most important reason that I love this book is that it’s full of recipes for using your preserves.  Now that you’ve made them, what can you do with them?

Just for marmalades, they’ve got Marmalade Cream (with ricotta cheese, marmalade, orange juice and grated semi-sweet chocolate), Marmalade Fruit Muffins, Marmalade Mustard Butter (for vegetables), Marmalade Sauce (for pancakes and waffles), and Marmalade Squares (a fruit-filled dessert bar).

Yesterday, I made the Marmalade Fruit Muffins using half Meyer lemon marmalade and half lime marmalade.  In place of dried fruit or nuts, I substituted chocolate chips (when in doubt or your shelves are out, try chocolate).

Marmalade Fruit Muffins

Marmalade adds moisture and lively flavor to these elegant muffins.  Any marmalade can be used, but we like the more intense flavor of those made with Seville oranges.

2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour

2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder

1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt

1/4 tsp (1 mL) baking soda

3/4 cup (175 mL) granulated sugar

1/4 cup (50 mL) soft butter or margarine

2 eggs

1 cup (250 mL) marmalade (“Traditional English Seville Marmalade, page 76)

1/4 cup (50 mL) orange juice

1/2 cup (125 mL) dried cranberries, raisins or nuts (or chocolate chips)

1. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Set aside.

2. Cream sugar and butter with an electric mixer or by hand; beat in eggs.  Stir in marmalade until blended. Fold in half of flour mixture.  Add orange juice, mixing just until combined, and then fold in remaining flour and cranberries.

3. Spoon into greased or paper-lined medium muffin pans, using half-cup (125 mL) measure. Bake in a 375°F (190°C) oven for 20 minutes or until lightly browned and firm to the touch.

Makes 18 medium muffins.

I loved these.  I’m happy.  I’m typing with a pleasing marmalade bitter aftertaste.  I’m anticipating trying these with different marmalades, dried fruits, nuts and chocolate chips.  And, my kids don’t like them much, so more for me (I’ll freeze them and have them for busy morning breakfasts; you didn’t think I was going to eat them all at once, did you?).  I think my next batch is going to be with Amanda’s strawberry marmalade.

Enjoy.

P.S. For my next jam-using project, I may have try these homemade pop tarts.  What do you think?  I’ve already tried this glaze with Black Forest cherry preserves (and loved it; I’m using it on my birthday cake next month).

A house full of Brassicas (or Murder on nursing babies)

We have broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts coming out of our ears. We tried these two recipes last night with our takings from our CSA and produce Co-op. Rave reviews for both the recipes and the CSA and Co-op (which is rapidly expanding throughout the West). Fortunately, brassicas are not a problem for my 12 week old, but for many nursing mothers, they might want to avoid these for a few months! (sorry no pictures …)

Cabbage salad: (only somewhat adapted by me)
1 head of cabbage shredded (I use my food processor)
2-4 carrots shredded (again the food processor)
2 sticks of celery chopped
1/4 – 1/2 cup of chopped onion tops or chives
1/4 cup chopped parsley or cilantro
1-2 apples chopped
1 cups mayo
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1+ tablespoon vinegar (I like white or apple cider)
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix cabbage, carrots, celery, onion tops/chives, herbs and apple in a very large bowl. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, mix and sprinkle again. Whisk together all of the other ingredients in a large bowl, taste and adjust to your liking (salt, pepper, a dash of hot sauce, more vinegar, or maple syrup, etc…). Add as much of the dressing to the salad as you prefer.

Brussels Sprouts with Cauliflower and Mustard-Caper Butter
from Local Flavors by Deborah Madison
SERVES 8 OR MORE
One should never feel merely obligated to eat Brussels sprouts. They’re good, especially when they’re I with nubbins of pale green broccoli Romanesco and white cauliflower. Besides, who can resist them when Farmers bring them to markets on their stalk, complete with a “hat” of cabbage leaves? Here is the most Dr. Suess like vegetable one could hope for. People walking through the market cradling a stalk that bristles with tiny cabbage seem to smile proudly as if they have just captured something rare. And they have.
THE MUSTARD-CAPER BUTTER
2 garlic cloves
sea salt and freshly ground pepper 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard, more or less
1/4 cup drained small capers, rinsed grated zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons chopped marjoramPound the garlic with ‘/2 teaspoon salt in a mortar until smo then stir it into the butter with the mustard, capers, lemon i and marjoram. Season with pepper. The butter can be made a ahead and refrigerated. Bring back to room temperature be serving.
THE VEGETABLES
1 pound Brussels sprouts or 1 whole stalk, stripped of its sprouts
1 small head white cauliflower
1 small head broccoli (Romanesco)
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1. Trim the base off the sprouts, then slice them in half or, if large, into quarters. Cut the cauliflower and broccoli into bite-sized pieces.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook for 3 minutes. Then add the other vegetables and continue to cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain, shake off any excess water, then toss with the Mustard-Caper Butter. Taste for salt, season with pepper, and toss again.