recipe #13: roasted carrot dip

so! clearly my ambitious plan to post several times a week was a big flopping FAIL. i have been traveling almost non-stop the last couple of months, but along the way i had the meal that inspired this overdue recipe. some wise foodie friends insisted i try zingerman’s deli in ann arbor, michigan (yes, enemy territory for this buckeye!). although i loooved the ozwad’s mile high sandwich, which is zingerman’s award-winning corned beef & yellow mustard on double-baked, hand-sliced Jewish rye bread that i topped off with pimento cheese, i cannot stop thinking about the “carrot top” spread i ordered as a side.

my recipe turned out pretty close to zingerman’s, but not as bright and pretty because i wanted the olives to be more fully blended into the dip. tweak as you like!

recipe #13: roasted carrot dip

soundtrack: sufjan stevens’ seven swans reimagined (i bet this michigan man loves zingerman’s too, plus all proceeds go to komen for the cure)

ingredients: 1/2 pound carrots, 1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, 2 TBS each harissa sauce, lemon juice and paprika, 1 TBS orange juice, 1/4 cup heavy cream, 3 TBS olive oil, salt and pepper.

the plan: cut the carrots diagonally in 1 1/2 inch slices, then toss in a bowl wth 2 TBS olive oil, and salt and pepper. roast at 400 degrees until very tender (about 30 minutes). then, in a food processor, combine the carrots with 1/4 cup heavy cream and 2 TBS each harissa sauce, lemon juice and paprika. i added the olives into the blend too, but if you prefer chunks just chop them into small pieces and add at the end. add salt and pepper to taste, then get yer dip on! i also foresee this being my new favorite sandwich spread.

recipe #11: turmeric-roasted brussels sprouts.

much to the chagrin of my family, i am making everyone try brussels sprouts at least once. they are an excellent source of vitamin C and fiber, with modest amounts of vitamin A, calcium and iron as well. knowing my dad loves heat, garlic, and indian food, i made a sauce to slather all over them using those elements, and threw in chickpeas (another food i’m making them try) to boot. verdict: “wow… that’s actually really good!” hopefully you think so, too.

recipe #11: turmeric-roasted brussels sprouts.

soundtrack: delta spirit live on mountain stage

ingredients:

1 cup halved brussels sprouts

1/2 cup canned chickpeas

2 tbs each turmeric, dijon mustard, and olive oil

1 tsp each wine vinegar, garlic salt

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 lemon slice

the plan: preheat oven to 450 degrees. mix turmeric, mustard, olive oil, salt and vinegar into a small dish. NOTE: the turmeric will leave hard-to-get-rid-of highlight marker-colored stains on almost everything it touches.

dump sprouts and ‘peas on a cooking spray-covered piece of aluminum foil, then coat with turmeric mixture. top with cheese, salt and pepper, then bake for 25 minutes.

once done, top with juice from the lemon slice, and extra cheese if you please. take comfort in the fact that all the things in this dish are exceptionally good for you–even turmeric touts some toxin-fighting glory. enjoy!

recipe #6: blackberry ricotta spread(ish).

not everything works out the way you want it to. a life – and cooking lesson – i’ve learned many times over. what began as a quest for light, fresh picnic fare turned into a slightly goopy but still delicious result.

recipe #6: blackberry ricotta spread(ish)

soundtrack: noah and the whale’s peaceful, the world lays me down

ingredients: 30 oz ricotta, cup of blackberries, 1 tablespoons honey and 1/4 cup brown sugar.

directions: i combined 30 oz. of ricotta cheese with a full cup of blackberries, one tablespoon of honey, and 1/4 cup of of brown sugar and combined in a blender. however, the blackberries trumped the ricotta to create a consistency closer to yogurt… which wasn’t ideal as a spread for whole wheat crackers as i intended, but was perfect to pour over multi-grain pancakes the next morning. next time, i think i’ll try blending the blackberries w/ honey and sugar first and then whip into ricotta in small doses until the texture is right. i’ll probably also add a touch of lemon or lime to brighten the flavor (ooh or lavender!), and most importantly, buy more blackberries to snack on during the process!

recipe #1: chicken noodle soup.

so, i don’t really like traditional chicken noodle soup. i like all of the things that go into it separately, a lot, but together they do nothing for me. and since i lost my voice this week (which is almost back now and yes i will totally credit my new soup recipe thankyouverymuch) i thought this to be a perfect first experiment.

i figured i’d keep the colors the same for consistency’s sake, so using my handy produce bible i picked nutritional powerhouses kale and sweet potatoes as subs for celery and carrots. i figure if this is supposed to be the go-to when you’re feeling down, make it pack a lot of punch! i also threw in red beans for their fiber and high antioxidant value and cancer-fighting pearl onions. enjoy…

Jill’s Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
Soundtrack: My Best Friend’s Wedding Movie Soundtrack (shut. up.)
Time: 1.5 hours
Servings: 8-10

Ingredients: 2 chicken legs w/ bone, 5 pearl onions, 1 large sweet potato, 1/2 pound of kale, 1 can red beans (not kidney), 1/2 box of Ronzoni 7 grain fusilli pasta. For seasoning: olive oil,  rosemary, thyme, 2 garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves, chicken bouillon, cloves, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper.
The plan: coat the bottom of a large soup pot with olive oil. slice onions (i kept mine in rings) and mince garlic and add to pot to “sweat”, or cook until clear, over low heat. next, add the two salt and peppered chicken legs until skin is browned and then add 8 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of chicken bouillon. cover and bring to a boil, then keep over medium heat for 45 minutes. next, add 2 tablespoons each of rosemary, thyme, red pepper, salt and pepper, the two bay leaves and 3 cloves. using a fork, remove the chicken legs from the soup and strip the meat from the bones, adding the meat back into the soup. add cubed sweet potatoes and let cook for 15 minutes, then add pasta, kale (remove from stems and cut into ribbons) and beans and let cook for another 15 or until pasta is tender. remove bay leaves, add more salt/pepper to taste and then get out a big ole bowl and serve yourself up some of this goodness. i sprinkled some parmesan cheese on top too because when is that NOT a good idea?
Things I learned: firstly, that i enjoy my best friend’s wedding movie soundtrack as much as when i was 15, which is a whole lot. secondly, that i wish i had browned the chicken legs like i said i did above, because i am that gross person who loves the skin and kept it in my soup. thirdly, i used too much water at first (10 cups) and as such my pot boileth over, so i had to use a mug to remove some before i could add any more ingredients. fourthly, that although while i was cooking it i wondered if i should have used squash instead of sweet potatoes, when i tasted it i knew i had done good.

SO hope you enjoy this as much as I did/am since I have 7 more servings left in my fridge. bring on your thoughts/suggestions/favorite moments in “My Best Friend’s Wedding.” jsx

a salty saint.

like most folks, i am trying to cut back on salt (especially on pizza slices… yes, please judge me for that so i will not do it anymore), so why not make the times when using salt is justified make me feel more healthy too? enter himalayan pink sea salt crystals. i grabbed a bottle of this at trader joe’s for only $1.99 to try more for the pretty/fancy factor and was very excited to learn that it is kind of the best thing ever for you, as far as consuming salt goes. they are fossilized sea salts from a pristine time without man-made pollution that have been dried from the sun over millions of years, and are pink because their whopping 84+ minerals and trace elements (copper, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron and more) have not been removed though refinement. table and and most sea/rock salts are white because they have been simplifed to just sodium chloride, which is unhealthy because high amounts of it cannot be excreted from the body and cause all kinds of health problems as it stores in the body.

by contrast, the mineral content in himalayan salts are metabolized easily and help eliminate toxins from the body, improve circulation, help to balance the body’s ph levels (acid/alkaline balance ), keep the nervous system working correctly and keep muscles in tact as well as relaxed.

i find the taste is similar to sea salt and look forward to using it in my attempt to create my own special chicken soup recipe this week, which will hopefully cure my very, very sore throat. more on that soon!…