Veggie / Principal Chef

Kale Salad with Roasted Chickpeas and Avocado

There are still plenty of people who are not kale fans. I get it. It’s a little chewy, and very unlike crisp romaine or iceberg lettuce. But this is a dish that gets rave reviews at potlucks in our neighborhood, and believe me, you better be on your A-Game when you bring food to potlucks around here. We are surrounded by amazing cooks. Jill adopted this recipe from one on the NYT cooking site, and it is a year long favorite.

Ingredients

Dressing Ingredients

⅔ cup Olive Oil

⅓ cup Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

1 tsp Salt

5 Garlic Cloves, gently pressed with the flat end of a knife

Chickpeas

14 oz Chickpeas (1 Can), drained and rinsed

2 tsp Olive Oil, or olive oil spray – enough to coat the chickpeas

2 tsp Seasoning – We use Penzey’s Turkish Seasoning, but a mix of salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic will always be good!

Salad Ingredients

4 cups Kale leaves, removed from stems, chopped, and massaged. There is some debate about massaging kale, but vigorously squeezing the kale leaves a few times makes them a little more approachable. I'm a fan.

2 cups Sliced Unsalted Almonds, Toasted

1.50 cups Grated Parmesan Cheese (Optional – Omit it to make this vegan)

2 Avocados, cut into bit sized pieces or slices

So many other ingredients can be added – Quinoa, tomatoes, fresh peas, you name it!

Directions

Roast the Chickpeas

We use our air fryer for this, but it’s easy to use your oven too. Lightly coat the chickpeas with olive oil, add Turkish Seasoning or Spice Mixture. Cook at 400 degrees for for 15-20 minutes, turning at least once, until browned and crispy.

Make the Dressing

Mix Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, Salt, and Garlic Cloves. Remove garlic cloves after 20-30 minutes.

Preparing the Salad

Mix dressing and kale. Add all remaining ingredients and mix again. You may want to lay the avocado on top, as people may argue they did not get their fare share of avocado. This may or may not have happened in our house a few times.

Enjoy!

Charlie Bird Farro Salad

I originally saw this recipe in Ina Garten’s Cook Like a Pro cookbook, but I have since seen it on Food Network and on the NYT Cooking site. They are all copying a recipe from the Charlie Bird restaurant, and it’s worth it. Chewy farro pasta (and you sound like quite the culinary expert when you say you’re cooking farro in your house), fresh herbs, and lemony goodness. You have to try it! (Picture from Barefoot Contessa – https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/charlie-birds-farro-salad)

Ingredients

Farro

1 cup Dried Farro (You’ll find it in the pasta or the rice section of your grocery store)

1 cup Apple Juice or Cider

2 Bay Leaves

2 tsp Salt

Dressing

½ cup Olive Oil

¼ cup Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Black Pepper (Table Grind)

Salad Ingredients

1 cup Fresh Parsley, destemmed and and chopped

1 cup Fresh Mint Leaves, Roughly chopped

1 cup Cherry Tomatoes, chopped or quartered

4 Radishes, as colorful as you can find, sliced thinly. (Adjust number based on your appreciation of radishes!)

⅔ cup Pistachios, slightly chopped

2 cups Arugula, chopped

½ cup Shaved Parmesan Cheese

Directions

Preparing all ingredients

Cook the farro in 1 cup of apple cider and two cups water, adding two tsp salt and two bay leaves. Cook until all liquid is absorbed. Remove bay leaves and cool. The apple cider is key to this recipe. It adds depth and sweetness to the salad.

Make the dressing by mixing all ingredients together, and set aside.

Chop all salad ingredients.

Take a wedge of Parmesan cheese and create slices. I use a vegetable peeler for this.

Making the Salad

Restir the dressing, then mix it in with the farro. The dressed farro will soon spread its goodness to the rest of the salad.

Mix in all ingredients except arugula and shaved parmesan.

Fold in the arugula, and then lay the parmesan slices on top.

Enjoy!

Arugula and Quinoa Salad

One of the few restaurants we can actually walk to is Kristy’s Village Cafe. When we do, we usually start by splitting a Quinoa Salad that is just fantastic. I like it so much that I’ve copied it, and we now eat it three or four times a month at home. Here is a not-too-complicated copy cat recipe for four people. The quinoa makes it a potential meal in itself, especially when you add a protein on top or on the side. This recipe calls for a balsamic vinegrette, which you can make yourself or purchase.

Ingredients

The Quinoa

1 cup Quinoa – any kind will do. We typically use tri-color. This is more than enough and will leave you leftovers if you want it.

Dressing

½ cup Olive Oil

¼ cup Balsamic Vinegar

1 tsp Dijon Mustard

¼ tsp Salt and Pepper

Greens and Stuff

6 cups Arugula

2 cups Cherry Tomatoes, cut in halves or quarters

6 oz Fresh Mozzarella cheese, cut into small pieces (You can use other cheeses, but the Moz works well)

1 Avocado, sliced into bite size pieces (1/2 inch or so)

⅔ cup Pistachios – chopped

Directions

Cook the quinoa according to the directions on the box. We cool it down in the fridge before mixing it into the salad. My friend Laurie spreads it on a baking sheet and browns it to provide some extra crunch. I have not yet tried that, but I will!

Make the dressing by mixing all ingredients, or simply use your favorite store-bought balsamic dressing. We love the Stonewall Kitchens Balsamic Fig dressing.

Mix the arugula and quinoa together. Start with 1 cup of quinoa, and add more until you get the mixture you would like.

Add dressing to this mixture and mix in.

Plate and top with cheese, tomatoes, avocado pieces, and pistachios. We do it this way so that everyone gets an even share of topping goodness, so there is no topping envy at the dinner table.

Enjoy!

Lentil Loaf

Ingredients

1 cup Dry Brown Lentils (or 2.5 cups precooked Lentils)

1 Small to Medium Yellow or Sweet Onion, Finely Diced

4 Stalks Celery, finely diced

3 Yukon Potatoes

1 tsp Garlic Powder

0.50 tsp Salt

1 tsp Black Pepper

0.25 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

2.50 cups Vegetable Stock (just two cups if using precooked lentils)

1 tbsp Soy Sauce or Tamari

2 tsp Poultry Seasoning

1 tsp Hot Sauce (Cholula or your favorite)

0.75 cup Bread Crumbs or Crushed Crackers

0.50 cup Shredded Cheddar (Sharp or Medium)

5 Eggs, Beaten

Tomato Sauce

1 cup Ketchup (Blend in a little BBQ sauce/Gochujang/Other Favorite if you wish)

2 tbsp Brown Sugar

1 tbsp Yellow or Dijon Mustard

0.50 tsp Hot Sauce (If not already blended in above)

Directions

Making the Lentil Loaf

If using dried lentils, soak them in hot water, while you dice and prepare all vegetables.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add a little vegetable/canola oil to large dutch oven. Add chopped onion, celery, carrots, and potatoes. Stir in garlic powder and pepper flakes after a few minutes. Cook until veggies start to soften.

If soaking the lentils in hot water, drain them. Add lentils to the veggies, along with vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat, cooking until most of the liquid is absorbed. It will take about 1 hour for dried lentils, and about 30 minutes for precooked. Rest and cool for 30 minutes. (You don’t have to let it rest that long, but it will make putting in the eggs a little less tricky.)

While you are waiting, prepare the loaf pan. Put some parchment paper into the loaf pan, pushing it down, then cutting off the excess so there’s about one inch rising above the edge of the pan.

Mix in soy sauce or tamari, poultry seasoning, hot sauce, and crackers. Then stir in eggs and cheddar. (if the mix is still hot, making sure you are stirring quickly when adding the eggs. Mixing in a little of the lentil mixture into the eggs first can make that easier.) The consistency should be like oatmeal or grits or macaroni and cheese before baking. Thick, and glopping, not pouring off the spoon as you spoon it into the prepared pan.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan.

Bake for about 90 minutes. I know. It’s a long time. The internal temp should be around 190, and it should be firm to the touch.

While you are cooking it, make the tomato sauce by mixing all of the ingredients together and heating to combine them.

In the last 15 minutes of baking the loaf, spread 1/4 to 1/2 of the tomato mixture on top.

Cool slightly, slice, and serve drizzling more tomato sauce on top. At the Sweet Melissa Café in Laramie, Wyoming, they make this ahead of time, and heat it up by letting it sizzle on the flattop grill. It’s a Guy Fieri DDD-approved dish and recipe. Check it out!

Dawson’s Favorite Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

It’s a great day for all of us when Jill makes these amazing muffins for Dawson. There are two uses for old bananas in our house. Most of them get peeled and put in the freezer to use in a smoothie. But some of them, the lucky ones, live to a ripe old age, and get privilege, nay, the honor, of being the start of Dawson’s favorite Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins. Old bananas, we salute you!

Ingredients

3 Ripe Bananas

⅓ cup Butter, Melted

1 tsp Baking Soda

¼ tsp Salt

½ cup White Granulated Sugar

1 Egg, Beaten

1.50 cups All Purpose Flour

½ cup Chocolate Chips (More does’t hurt – make it a rounded 1/2 cup!)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 (I prefer 325 convection), and spray muffin pan with oil.

Melt butter in Microwave. Let it cool for a minute or two.

Add bananas to the buttery goodness.

Mash until smooth.

Mix in baking powder, vanilla, beaten egg, and salt.

Stir in sugar and flour.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Using a spoon, get enough batter to make them 2/3 to 3/4 full (12 muffin cups sort of evenly), and scrape into muffin pan with small spatula.

They are ready to go into the oven!

Bake for 20 minutes at 350 (or 325 Convection), take out when it looks perfect and a butter knife comes out clean!

Biscuits with Black Pepper and Cheddar Cheese (or without!)

The Arkansas kid in me still loves biscuits. I have tried a variety of recipes, but now I have the one I’m sticking with. Yes, it has an obscene amount of butter in it. But maybe you just shouldn’t worry about it for this one thing? I adapted it from Joanna Gaines Magnolia Table cookbook, and I just love it. The black pepper and cheddar cheese make them savory additions to breakfast, brunch, or dinner. You can make the dough ahead and cut the biscuits up to 3 days ahead, then pop them in the oven when you absolutely need to have them. I think you’ll love them!

Ingredients

4 cups All Purpose Flour

4 tbsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Baking Soda

1.50 tsp Kosher Salt (or 1 tsp regular salt)

2.50 Sticks Cold Salted Butter, each stick sliced into 8 pieces then quartered

2 Eggs, beaten

1.50 cups Buttermilk

1.50 cups Cheddar Cheese (or mix of Cheddar and Parmesan)

2 tbsp Black Pepper, Course Ground

Directions

Mix together all dry ingredients.

Add cold butter pieces.

Using a pastry blender (or a couple of forks if you don’t have that), blend the butter into the dry ingredients until the butter is in pea-sized pieces.

Add in shredded cheese and black pepper and stir in.

Add beaten eggs and stir in.

Add buttermilk and stir in, then mix with hands. It should be sticky, but not wet. Add flour or buttermilk to dry out or moisten. Refrigerate from 1 to 24 hours.

Spread some flour on a clean surface. Take dough out of the fridge and flatten with hands until you have a circle/square/rectangle/odd shape that is a little more than 1/2 inch thick.

Cut with biscuit cutter/glass/measuring cup/knife.

Cook at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until tops are golden brown.

Take out and serve immediately! We you see how much butter goes into these, you know you don’t need to addd butter. But just a little bit won’t hurt, will it?

Eggplant Parmesan

This is Jill’s favorite dish that I make. Therefore, I make it a lot! A little marital advice from principalchef: when your spouse is nice enough to be clear about what he/she likes, try to do THAT as much as you can. Of course, if that something is a bit too much, then Meatloaf was right. Where was I? Oh yes – this is Jill’s favorite dish – she loves the non-fried eggplant slices, and the bread crumbs are incredible. The bread crumbs are like a dish by themselves! My thanks to Ina Garten for another great recipe!

Ingredients

3 Eggplants, Average size, not too thick or thin

4 cups Marina Sauce, Your Favorite Jar

0.75 cup Fresh Basil

1 lb Fresh Mozerella, Sliced and Quartered

1.50 cups Shredded Parmesan

1 French Bread Loaf (1-2 Days Old is Best)

8 Cloves Garlic, Peeled(We use at least 12, but we have garlic addiction issue in our house)

Olive OIl

Salt, Pepper, Italian Seasoning

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Take 3 eggplants and slice into 1 cm wide pieces (Ina’s tip: Cut the eggplant in half, lay on flat side, and cut safely and easily.)

Lay eggplant slices on cookie sheets covered with foil (you’ll need 3 1/2 sheets). Brush with olive oil and season lightly with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Repeat on other side.

Roast eggplant at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Turn over and roast for 15 minutes until there is some brown on top. Take out of oven and cool.

While eggplant is roasting, tear french bread and place in food processor. Add garlic cloves and give it a whir until it looks like bread crumbs.

Add 1/4 cup of basil leaves to crumbs.

Process again until you have beautiful basil-ly and garlicky fresh bread crumbs. Mix with 1/4 cup olive oil, and set aside.

In a deep casserole dish, start the lasagna-style layering. Start with 1/3 of the sauce and lay 1/3 of the eggplant on it.

Add 1/3 of the fresh mozzarella and parmesan. Note: If you to make it super cheesy – adding some shredded mozzarella works. It still feels very cheesy without it. Of course, if some cheese is good, then more cheese . . .

Repeat on for the second layer, but add the rest of the basil (chopped) to the top of that layer.

Add the third layer, then add enough bread crumbs to cover completely.

Cook at 400 degrees for 40-45 minutes (until the bread crumbs are brown and the sauce is bubbling) and you are set! Let it cool for at least 10 minutes (20 is better) and you are ready to serve!

Split Pea Soup

I’ve had this recipe for over 30 years, written on a note card. I can’t even remember where I got it. But I love it and it’s a staple in our house in the fall and winter. I serve it with my Irish Soda Bread recipe and it always feels like a wholesome, healthy, and very tasty meal.

Ingredients

2 tbsp Olive Oil

2 tbsp Butter

1 Onion, white, yellow, or sweet, chopped.

4 Carrots, choppedI love carrots and always add more – they add color and contrast.

4 stalks celery, chopped(More if they are smaller stalks)

3 cups Cabbage, shredded

1 lb Dried Split Peas

8 cups Vegetable Broth

2 cups Water(It's 10 cups of liquid – any combination of broth and water will do)

1 tsp Basil

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp Marjoram

½ tsp oregano

¼ tsp sage

¼ tsp tarragon

¼ tsp celery seed

1 tsp Salt (more if broth is unsalted)

2 tsp Pepper

Fresh Parsley or other fresh herbs for garnish, if desired

Directions

Heat butter and oil in large dutch oven.

Tip – drop a few pieces of onion in there when you add the oil and butter. Forget about it until you hear them start sizzling, then you can add the remainder. Great tip for multi-taskers!

Add vegetables (onion, celery, carrots, and cabbage) and sauté seven to ten minutes until soft.

Add broth, water, and split peas.

Add spices and stir in.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a a wide variety of spices, and I don’t keep all of them in my drawer. Don’t go out and buy the ones you don’t have. This recipe would be great with just salt and pepper. Use what you have. My last round I used salt, pepper, basil, oregano, sage, and tarragon. And it will be different next time!

After it gets to a boil, cover and simmer for 90 minutes, until the consistency is what you like.

Fried Rice

I love fried rice. For us, it’s not a side dish. It’s a one bowl meal. The key is thinking a little bit ahead and having some one to three-day old rice in the fridge. If you keep some shrimp (Trader Joe’s Argentinian) in your freezer, or if you have some crab (Costco) in your fridge, you are ready. Take stuff that’s already in your fridge, freezer, and pantry, add some cooked rice from the night before, and go out there and be a fried rice hero!

Ingredients

3 cups White Rice, Leftover and Chilled

1 Onion, diced

6 Garlic Cloves

2 tsp Ginger, Minced(I usually don't have ginger, or ginger paste, but it's nice when I do)

2 cups Diced Vegetables (Peas, Carrots, Broccoli, Celery, Anything you like!)

2 Eggs, beaten

⅓ cup Soy Sauce or Tamari Sauce for less sodium

2 tsp Sesame Oil

1 tbsp Black Pepper(That's not a typo – Black Pepper is KEY for this dish!)

2 Green onions, for garnish

3 tbsp Cooking Oil – Canola or Peanut

1 lb Cooked Crab/Shrimp/Sausage/Pulled Pork/Chicken/Tofu or anything leftover that’s tasty!

Directions

I start by making a super thin omelette, taking it off the heat, and slicing into 1/4″ slivers to mix in the fried rice later. Set aside or refrigerate.

Chop your vegetables!

Create your mixture – Soy Sauce, Pepper, Sesame Oil

Add 1 Tbsp Canola oil to wok or pan. Sauté Onions for five minutes, then vegetables for 5 more, or until they’re just the way you like them. Take out of wok or pan and set aside.

Put 2 Tbsp Canola Oil in wok/pan with heat on high. Add rice and let it sizzle for 4-5 minutes. Use a spoon or spatula to make sure it does not stick, but do not stir. You’re trying to make it a little crispy. Add soy mixture, stir, and mix well.

Add everything except the egg. Stir in and heat. Again, let sit instead of constantly stirring.

Blend in the cooked egg at the very end and serve! Have extra soy sauce and some Thai Chili Garlic sauce or Sriracha sauce for those who like it hot.

Skillet Apple Blackberry Pie

I adapted this recipe from the amazing chefs at Cooks Illustrated. It’s fun to use when you have fruit, and you ALWAys have apples and frozen blackberries. It’s super tasty, it’s easy, and it’s one more chance to showcase your cast iron skillet.

Ingredients

Fruit

6 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and cut into 1/2″ thick slices

15 Blackberries, or dried cherries, or something to mix well with the apples

Apple Cider Mixture

½ cup Apple Cider

⅓ cup Maple Syrup or Honey

¼ tsp Cinnamon

2 tsp Cornstarch

2 tsp Granulated Sugar

1 Egg White

Crust

1 Pie Crust (Pillsbury or homemade)

3 tbsp Butter

Directions

Melt butter in cast iron skillet. Throw in apples and start to sauté. Don’t over-stir.

Mix Cider, Honey or Syrup, Cinnamon, and Corn Starch together. Set aside.

As apples get close to ready, add blackberries or other fruit.

After 7-8 minutes, when apples have softened, turn off heat and gently stir in in cider mixture.

Lay crust over apples. Brush with egg white. Sprinkle sugar over the top. Sprinkle a little extra cinnamon if you like it as much as I do.

Bake in a 500 degree oven for 20 minutes. Let cool for at least 15 minutes, and serve with ice cream! Show off that cast iron piece or art before you start serving. You deserve the artistic credit!

Pizza with Homemade Pizza Dough

Pizza Night is a big deal in our house. And you can buy dough at Trader Joe’s or your supermarket, and it’s just fine. But why settle for just fine, when making great pizza dough is so easy to do! And when people ask if you made the dough yourself, you calmly answer, ‘Why yes I did.” It feels good.

You need at least 90 minutes of time, and preferably two hours, but 90% of that time is waiting for it to rise. Try it out!

Ingredients

4 cups White FlourIf you want to get fancy, you can use the Italian 00 flour, which is much softer and will impress your friends who know pizza. I like to substitute 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, as I think it gives the dough some nice rustic appeal.

2 tsp Kosher Salt

1.50 tbsp Active Dry Yeast(Equivalent to two packages)

1.25 cups Warm Water

1 tbsp Olive Oil

Tomato/Pesto/BBQ SauceYou choose!

Mozzarella and Parmesan Cheese

Awesome Pizza Ingredients

Directions

Mix Warm Water with yeast. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until bubbly.

Mix Flour and Salt.

In a Kitchen Aid Mixer, or with a spoon or with your clean hands, mix, then knead the flour with the yeasted water. Do this for 5 minutes in the mixer or at least 7 minutes by hand. I prefer kneading it, as my hands can feel the dough when it starts to soften up and become more pliable. Knead it for another minute after you feel that change, and you’re good.

Separate into two or three dough balls. Two makes two 12-inch pizzas. Three makes three 8-10 inch pizzas.

Let rise for at least one or two hours. Some ovens have a “proofing” mode, where you can set the temperature to 90 degrees or so. Otherwise, just cover with a cloth in the warmest place in your kitchen and let rise. It should double in size.

About an hour before you are ready to start putting those pies in the oven or Big Green Egg, start the oven at 550 (or as hot as yours will go) and put the pizza stones in there. If you have multiple pizza stones, they work great on the different levels of the oven. Also, if you have a convection oven, that works best.

I’m working on using my gas grill too, and I hope to update you on that soon.

Start in the middle and press out until you have a nice circle, or something that approximates a circle, or some kind of amoeba-like crust that will taste wonderful. 1/4 of an inch is a good thickness target – as that allows some rise an those nice bubbles in the oven. If you want it super thin, roll out with rolling pin to about 1/8″. Or, if you’re really good (I’m not) toss it and make it the artistic way!

Cover with your favorite sauce, cheese, and toppings (keep it light – pizza is not meant to be overloaded) ingredients, bake at 550 degrees ((or the highest your oven will go) on a pizza stone for 6-8 minutes, and you are ready!

One more note – there is always a debate about how to keep pizza dough from sticking to the stone. Cornmeal is a favorite answer, but it’s not my answer. Parchment paper. After you roll out the dough, put it on parchment paper and then add the ingredients. When you are ready to bake, slide the pizza WITH THE PARCHMENT PAPER STILL ON THE BOTTOM, into the oven. I take out the parchment paper after 2-3 minutes, it will be brown on the edges, and then the pie loses its stickiness and can be easily moved around on and eventually removed from the stone.

Cambodia Yellow Curry Sauce

In December of 2018, Jill, Dawson, and I took a big trip to Cambodia. Jill’s sister was living there at the time, and we took the opportunity visit their family, and travel with them around Cambodia. It was amazing! The sites, the brutal and beautiful history, and the food all made an impact.

My favorite foods there were Crab Fried Rice, Fish Amok, and Kep Fish. This mild Cambodian curry dish is a my combination of Fish Amok and Kep Fish, except that there is no fish. You choose what to serve it with – fish, shrimp, tofu, and chicken all work well. Serve over jasmine rice and you have a full one-dish meal!

Ingredients

3 tbsp Yellow Curry Paste

2 Cans, Coconut Milk

1 Sweet Onion, Diced

2 Red Bell Peppers, Diced

2 Green Bell Peppers, Diced

1 Bunch of Celery, Diced

1 tbsp Tamari or Fish Sauce*(Add more to bring out more umami taste)

Salt and Pepper

1 tbsp Corn Starch

4 Cloves, Garlic, Minced

2 cups Vegetable Broth

Directions

Sauté onions, garlic, and celery in a little vegetable or olive oil.

Add bell peppers, and sauté until a little softened.

In a separate pot, heat 1 Tbsp Olive Oil, mix in curry paste.

Mix in coconut milk with a whisk.

Taste for spice. You can add curry paste, red chili pepper flakes, or chili garlic sauce if you want more heat. Add vegetable broth and re-taste for heat.

In a separate bowl, mix a small amount of the curry with the cornstarch. Mix back into the curry to thicken.

Add vegetable mixture to curry sauce.