Book 106: Eat Your Vegetables: Bold Recipes for the Single Cook

by Joe Yonan

A picture of this book popped up in my news feed on FB, and I knew I had to have it - I'm a sucker for a beautiful cover; I loved the rustic look of the cover photo of grilled asparagus. I popped over to Amazon to leaf through it and the first photo I saw was this galette. I wanted to make it right then and there.

I rushed down to my local bookstore to purchase a copy. As soon as I got home I plopped myself down on the sofa to read through it. Not only am I liking the recipes I'm reading, but I love his essays he has scattered throughout the book of his adventures of family farming, forgetting the clock (cook by smell/sight), a peek behind the scenes of that beautiful stand you swoon over at the farmer's market and more.

I enjoyed this book so much, I went back the very next day and purchased another copy for our daughter and dropped in the mail the same day. She thanked me, and informed me that she follows him on twitter. Mom scores!

This recipe would make a great addition to your Thanksgiving menu, as well as this book to your cookbook collection.

Amazon

You don't have to be single to enjoy this book!

This is the first recipe I have made (or come across) that uses the kale stems as well.

If the filling looks a little sparse, that is because I doubled everything but the mushrooms (I had, what I had..), and I forgot to add the kale. If I had made this with the correct amount of mushrooms, this could have been even better, and it was darn good as it was.

First layer of sweet potatoes (I used a yam). I should have started from the center and worked my way out, being the bottom will become the top when flipped. Yes, after cooking, the galette is flipped out onto a plate. You could serve it straight from the pan, but where is the fun in that?

Looks pretty, even without the kale.

Once realizing I forgot the kale, I gave it a quick sautée in a little oil until wilted, and all was well.

 Looks so beautiful I did not want to cover it up!

Cover the filling with the remaining slices of potato. After baking in the oven, you are instructed to brown the potatoes under the broiler to brown. I did, but next time I will skip that step. No need since the galette will be flipped onto a plate.

Fingers crossed.

 Whew! Only three pieces stuck to the pan. :)

Once the galette is flipped onto a plate, it is sprinkled with some green onion and toasted walnuts.

Meals like this make me think.. going vegetarian wouldn't be so difficult; but the hubby makes a mean grilled chicken, among other things.

I had this for lunch two days later - it was just as good, if not better.

Portuguese Kale Soup

from the book Food to Live By
by Myra Goodman of Earthbound Farm Organic


This is the book our daughter requested when she moved out rather than my standard gift of The New Basics Cookbook.  She is into the whole organic food, health and fitness scene ~ not sure where she got this from, not us! So glad she is though, and at an early age ~ if only I was so lucky!

Myrna has some really tasty recipes in this book. Two of my favorites are her granola recipe that I have yet to share with you (I will soon though), and her California Waldorf Salad  (no, not what you are thinking.. there are no marshmallows or heavy mayonnaise covered fruit).

Portuguese Kale Soup ~ minus the Portuguese tradition of adding slices of chouriço. 

I'm not completely against adding sausage to soup (something I do when my sister comes to dinner ~ she is a carnivore to say the least); I just was not feeling it ~ we had meat a few days in a row and I was craving something meatless.

This was a quick, easy and comforting recipe ~ perfect for the chilly weather we have been having (by California standards; 40° - 50° at dinner time), and it's healthy to boot!


Success meter (1-3): 3

Remove the tough stems of the kale and chiffonade the leaves.

Sauté the onions and carrots till soft then add garlic.

Add the broth, potatoes and spice and cook till potatoes are tender.

Add the rest of the goodness: beans, tomatoes and kale.

How beautiful is this?

So good...

(If you prefer a thicker soup, you can purée a portion of the soup.)

Citrus Collards with Raisins

Recipe from vegetariantimes.com




I have my friend Dorothy to thank for this easy and tasty recipe. She served hers alongside quinoa and baked yams. This would be a great side dish to any meal. Me, I had this all on its own for my dinner.

The recipe calls for collard greens but I had kale that needed to be used up. I'm sure this would be tasty with your favorite greens, being collards, kale, or chard. My raisins also needed to be eaten soon and were not as plump as when they were purchased, so I soaked them in the orange juice called for in the recipe; they were back to their soft, fat little selves.

The ingredients paired beautifully. The slight bitterness of the kale against the sweet raisins and the burst of citrus was delightful. I easily could have eaten more - if there was any.

Success meter (1-3): 3

I also added a bit of orange zest to the recipe.

If using a wok you may want to blanch the kale or whatever green you use, first, then dry it in a salad spinner. As good as this dish was, I would have liked the kale to be a bit more tender than it was.

You can find this wonderful recipe by clicking here.

The Cold Kitchen ~ Eating in the Raw

Fun, fun, fun!!!

There is a new cooking school/production kitchen in town called Back to the Table. My friend Dorothy and I decided to check it out and give it a try. We took the class called Raw. I'm sure you get the idea; nothing is cooked.

The menu consisted of the following:

Almond Milk
Cream of Zucchini Soup
Mediterranean Kale Salad
Zucchini Noodles Marinara
"Chocolate Mousse"

The good thing about a new business is the word is not out yet. We were fortunate enough to be the only two in the class this day. It was more of a one-on-one un-cooking session. There were a few minor kinks they need to work out, but we had a fabulous time and and are anxious to take another class.

Upon deciding on a class, I was thinking that this was a good choice, for I am interested in looking for meals I can prepare for our vegetarian daughter, and this was also a good choice for my friend whom is on a restricted diet.

Success meter (1-3): 3

Such a cute store!

The picture does not do it justice.

Here I am making almond milk ~ yummm!

Awesome kitchen!

Cream of Zucchini Soup

My dear friend Dorothy.

Isn't she just a cutie patootie!

Our wonderful instructor, Chef Erin!

She does not label herself as a vegetarian

or vegan, but a "choicetarian".

Kale salad ~ so good.

Dorothy calls it a "bowl of health"

Chef Erin demonstrating zucchini "noodles"

made with a very cool tool called a spirooli.

I want one, as well as a Blendtec.

This is what is leftover from

making the "noodles".

Raw marinara sauce.

An example of zucchini ribbons

made with the spirooli.

"Chocolate Mousse"

(made of dates, avocado, and cocoa)

A very cool whirl-a-ma-jig!

I want one of these too!

Out of respect of Chef Erin and Back to the Table cooking school, I am not posting the recipes. You'll need to sign up for the class yourself; and that's a good thing.

Thanks to my daughter Ashley and her boyfriend Jake for the great catch phrase!

Book Eighteen: Dairy Hollow House Soup & Bread: A Country Inn Cookbook by Crescent Dragonwagon

Recipe: Colcannon Soup


You may recall a previous post I did by this same author. I did not even know I had another book by her! This reminds me of a while back, I ordered a cookbook and as usual was quite excited when it arrived. I sat down to leaf through the book and I noticed the recipes sounded awfully familiar. As you've probably guessed, I ordered a book that I already owned. That alone should have told me I have too many books. I admit I have an addiction when it comes to cookbooks. I just cannot resist. To this day, I am still adding to my collection.

It's to be a rainy evening and so I decided on soup for tonight's meal. I was going to go with a trusty lentil soup, but thought I really need to venture out more. Part of the fun of cooking through all these books is to tryout new recipes. The potato and kale soup sounded really good to me. As I'm taking pictures of the ingredients I noticed she does not have any herbs or spices other than salt and pepper. So now I am having doubts about this one. I'll give it a shot; sometimes the best recipes are the simplest.
(Edit: I did a search on Colcannon Soup (which I have never even heard of) and it is apparently an Irish soup traditionally made with potatoes and cabbage or kale. I should be making this Thursday for St. Pat's Day!! Now I understand the blandness of this soup: She leaves out the bacon or pancetta that the other recipes call for ~ Crescent Dragonwagon is a vegetarian....though she gives the choice of chicken or vegetable stock)

I find odd that she instructs you to spray the soup pot with Pam and then bring to a boil the broth. Why would you need to oil the pot in the first place? Her other recipes also call for spraying the pot/pan with Pam and then add your oil/butter. Paid endorsement???

Well the soup wasn't bad. I did add lots of pepper and some nutmeg at the end. This may be one that tastes better the next day after it has a chance to meld. It certainly would benefit from, and be quite good with the addition of pancetta or bacon. I chose not to purée all the potatoes for I liked the idea of having chunks of potato in my soup. For a healthier version I'm sure you could omit the cream and milk mixture, for the soup would have a creaminess of its own from the puréed potatoes.

I served this with some leftover french bread. After slicing I brushed it with some olive oil and seasoned it with salt and pepper and toasted it in the oven until crisp. Before serving I rubbed each piece with a clove of garlic.

Success meter (1-3):2