in lieu of soup.

it's the so-called "dead of winter" here in california, and the idea of swapping out my moccasins for sandals is growing almost unbearably tempting. they say the weather is really unusual for this time of year, but i'm not so secretly hoping they're wrong. as a native arizonan, 70 degree winters feel nothing but perfectly normal - and after almost a decade spent in chicago and germany, very appreciated.

the only downside to this warm weather front is that it doesn't look like i'm going to have any soup recipes to share with you this year. it's just that the prospect of gulping down steaming hot liquid under these circumstances is less than appealing. i hope you understand. and i also hope you'll accept another quinoa recipe to ease the momentary void. while it's certainly no soup, it is incredibly flavorful and perfect as a between-soup palette cleanser. and who knows, maybe a cold wind will strike in the next month or two! if so, i'll be the first to pull out my oversized pot and a gallon of vegetable stock.  

spiced rainbow quinoa with chickpeas

modified from dana treat

1 14 oz. can chickpeas, drained


3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice


3 tbsp. olive oil, divided


2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. cumin seeds


1 tsp. turmeric

1 cup rainbow quinoa

2 cups water


1 tsp. salt


3 green onions, thinly sliced
(white and green parts)

½ cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

combine chickpeas, lemon juice, 2 tbsp. oil, and garlic in a large bowl. stir to combine, and let marinate as you make the quinoa (though you can let it sit longer, of course!).

heat the other tbsp. oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and turmeric. stir around until fragrant, about 1 minute. add the water, quinoa, and salt. give it a stir. cover and bring to simmer. reduce heat to medium-low. let simmer until all water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

once ready, fluff up with a fork before adding in the green onions, parsley, and chickpea mixture. toss to blend. season to taste with salt and pepper. serve either warm or at room temperature.

roasted butternut squash and quinoa.

this past thanksgiving, to complement the turkey and chicken liver stuffing already on my family's menu, i researched and plotted new ways to infiltrate the rest of their plates with whole grains and vegetables. and their desert bowl with a vegan, gluten free dessert. 

don't i sound like a lot of fun to have around on thanksgiving?!

dessert was this apple and apricot tart. side dishes included a leek, asparagus, and dill sauté, a simple side salad, and my favorite: a massive bowl of roasted butternut squash and rainbow quinoa. by the time i was finished preparing everything, it was dark out and people were hungry. this, as you might imagine, is not a prime time for food photography. i was able to snag a photo of the squash dish in time - the other dishes weren't as fortunate.

lucky for everyone, this one was probably the best of the lot. roast some butternut squash with fresh herbs, garlic, onion, balsamic, and oil. add it to a mound of quinoa and you have something that's almost a stuffing. note: the recipes makes a LOT, which is far from a problem. leftover options include (but are by no means limited to): adding it to salads,  using it in a wrap, or simply eating it straight out of the tupperware container with a spoon (hypothetically, of course).

quinoa and roasted butternut squash

2 cups rainbow quinoa
2 teaspoons salt
4 cups vegetable stock
4 cups butternut squash, peeled and diced into small-ish cubes
1 red onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh sage, finely chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

preheat oven to 375F.

combine the quinoa, salt, and vegetable stock in a pot over medium heat. bring to a boil, low the heat, and simmer. stir occasionally until the quinoa is tender (approximately 20 minutes). 

while the quinoa is doing its thing, toss the squash, onion, garlic, sage, and thyme with the olive oil, balsamic, and some salt in a baking pan. arrange (as much as possible) in a single layer and place in the oven for 20 minutes. toss the mixture every 5 to 8 minutes to get browning on both sides. remove from the oven and let cool.

in a serving bowl, toss the squash mixture with the quinoa. i only used 2/3 of the quinoa for a more squash-centric dish, but feel free to use it all depending on your preferences. add salt and pepper to taste. enjoy warm or at room temperature.

a post-thanksgiving pearl barley dish.

there is a lot to be thankful for this thanksgiving. from my wonderful family and friends to the hit TLC show Sister Wives, life is good. i'm particularly thankful this year to be able to actual celebrate the day of being thankful. shockingly, germany isn't one to honor classic american holidays (though they are warming up to halloween...), so i was never able to make it back across the pond the past three years. make-shifting turkey day always worked out fine, but there's something slightly more magical about celebrating it in the states. by magical, i mean: my mom special orders and names a turkey (which i don't eat but somehow feel a warm affection toward), my brothers make assorted dishes out potatoes, my dad grazes on all of the foods as they're being prepared, and my dogs run frantically around the house convinced that the apocalypse is near. this isn't all that out of the ordinary a scene for this household - it's just that on thanksgiving it lasts a whole day rather than just a couple of hours around meal times.

while this tasty barley and chickpea side dish doesn't quite have the traditional thanksgiving flavors, it's the perfect dish to cook up the weekend after thanksgiving - after you've finished off those last leftovers and are craving a bit of spice (tumeric, cayenne) and healthy detoxing nutrients. it isn't particularly spicy, but if you're worried, just use half the amount of spices listed. 

pearl barley with roasted chickpeas 

from so good and tasty

1 cup pearl barley

2 ½ cups water

1 14oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

juice from 1/2 lemon

3 bay leaves

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

1 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

in a small saucepan, bring water, barley, and a dash of salt to boil. lower the heat and cover. cook until done, about 30 minutes.

preheat oven to 400˚F.

in a medium frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat. add onions, chickpeas, lemon juice, bay leaves, spices, spices and salt. sauté until chickpeas begin to sizzle (about 7 minutes).

transfer contents to a baking pan and roast in the oven for 20 minutes, stirring half way through.

remove from the oven. take out the bay leaves, and stir in barley and parsley. leave a little parsley for garnish at the end. you can eat this hot, warm, or at room temperature. 

summery polenta casserole.

corn has been on my mind lately after watching the 2003 documentary, king corn. the film documents the journey of american corn from its farm origins in iowa to its feeding of cattle in colorado to its conversion into high fructose corn syrup in a disturbing number of packaged goods we consume. i'm continually shocked by the realization that the vast majority of corn grown in this country is unedible off the cob and yet ends up (in excessive amounts!) in our bodies via other things we eat (but probably shouldn't!).

when i was younger, my favorite dish was my mom's mashed potato and corn casserole. looking back, the signs of my future vegetarianism weren't all too hidden (the rest of my family's favorite meal was grilled steak...). i loved the creaminess of the potatoes and the crunch of the fresh corn. it's been years since i ate that dish, and i have to admit my love of corn has largely waned in that time. i think i may have even once heard myself claim to dislike corn!

but the thing is that there are a lot of reasons to warm up to corn: grilled corn on the cob, for one. and for anyone following a gluten free diet, there's cornmeal, or polenta (whatever you call it, it's got a ton of iron, magnesium, zinc and vitamin b6!).

with corn on the brain, i decided to try out a summery corn and polenta casserole. this dish is bursting with summer flavors, from the fresh tomatoes to the fragrant green peppers to the sizzling cheese on top. plus, it's the kind of meal to restore even the biggest disbeliever's faith in corn. while i'm still planning on keeping my distance to its canned and sweetened forms, fresh corn is getting a renewed invitation into my diet.

summery polenta bake

adapted from dana treat

oven-baked polenta (recipe follows)


1½ cups tomato sauce


2 tablespoons olive oil


3 ears of corn, kernels shaved off the cob


1 green pepper, chopped

salt


¾ pound tomatoes, cored and seeded


1 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
roughly

1 chili, seeded and finely chopped


1 cup grated cheese

first make the polenta. do this early in the day (or at least 3 hours ahead of time) to give it time to harden.

heat the oil in a large non-stick pan and add the corn and pepper. sauté over medium heat just until tender, about 5 minutes. season with a pinch of salt. 

meanwhile, cut the tomatoes into chunks and place in a small bowl. toss in the sauteed corn and peppers, half the basil, and the chiles. add salt and pepper to taste.

preheat the oven to 375ºF. pour the tomato sauce into the bottom of large casserole dish. arrange the polenta triangles any way you like, using up all of the polenta. spoon the vegetables on top and into the spaces between the polenta triangles. give another slight salt and peppering, and sprinkle with the cheese. 

cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes, then uncover and bake for 10 more minutes, until the cheese is bubbly. sprinkle on the remaining basil and serve immediately! (this dish is also heavenly a day later, so don't worry for a second about what to do with leftovers!).

simple oven-baked polenta
adapted from nytimes recipe for health

1 cup polenta

1 quart water

1 teaspoon salt

preheat the oven to 350 degrees. combine the polenta, water and salt in a 2-quart baking dish. stir together, and place in the oven. bake fifty minutes. remove from the oven, and give it a stir using a fork or spatula. return to the oven for 10 minutes.

remove from the oven, and stir again. check that the grains are soft. if not, return to the oven for 10 minutes. remove and let cool, either in the same dish or by pouring it into another (lightly oiled) one. i left it in the baking dish to cool for an hour, then put it in the fridge for another hour to harden. once hard and cool, cut into squares (and then into triangles by halving the squares) and place on parchment paper for use in casserole.

saffron rice with a crispy potato crust.

the weekend started out innocently enough. friday night we were invited to our friend sogand's place for dinner. little did i know, however, that during that dinner i would become a rice and potato convert.

it's true that i've been living in sausage and potato land for three years. and while i'm never going to be sold on the former, the possibilities of the latter's deliciousness finally dawned on me during this dinner, as i dug into sogand's exquisite side dish of saffron rice with a crispy potato crust (known as tahdig). essentially, partially cooked rice is placed on top of a layer of potatoes sizzling in butter. as the potatoes brown, the rice steams. at the end, you mix in some dissolved safran to give the fluffy light rice a delicate flavor - and the potatoes, oh man, the potatoes. you've never tasted such flavorful, crispy, brown potatoes before.

needless to say, i became determined to replicate this heavenly dish over the weekend. the problem: saffron is not only hard to come by here, but also... what's the word for the far opposite of a bargain? filled with hope, i asked sogand where she got her saffron from. the answer: iran. i didn't know if i'd have time to pop on over there any time soon, so i turned to other options. my boyfriend and i were heading to the city of hanover the next day, and so it became clear that while the stated aim of the trip was to explore the city and enjoy ourselves, the reeeeal mission was to find saffron.

of course, hanover was beautiful and charming. (can't resist showing two pictures of the town hall and surrounding park).

but after wandering around and enjoying lunch and a stroll in the park (check out those lilly pads!), my personal highlight of the trip came an hour before we headed back to bremen, when i found a cheap supermarket that was selling little containers of the coveted spice for 2,50 euro. we headed back saturday evening, and sunday night yours truly whipped up a dish with potatoes for the first time in three years.

(note: though i wasn't able to snag a photo of the potato crust before we devoured it, they turned out very nice and crispy in the center while still slightly too pale around the edges. next time i'll leave them over the heat for even a bit longer so that the whole crust is as delicious as the center).

saffron rice with tahdig potato crust

2 cups basmati rice

2 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon saffron in ¼ cup water

bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the salt. add rice and adjust heat to maintain a simmer. stir occasionally. when it’s nearly done, about 10 minutes later, drain it.

while the rice is cooking, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a wide skillet or non-stick pan. arrange the potatoes on top of the olive oil to cover the pan. pour the cooked rice over the potatoes and turn the heat to as low a heat as possible.

cook for at least 1 ½ hours, or until the potatoes are crispy. you can use a spatula to peek underneath. keep the dish on minimum heat for another half hour after that.

during the last few minutes of cooking, remove two cups of the rice and place in a small bowl. take the teaspoon of saffron dissolved in ¼ cup water and add to the bowl. stir until rice is well saturated (and a beautiful yellow color!).

remove skillet from heat and reintegrate saffron rice back in, making sure not to disturb the potato floor.

serve by cutting the potato-rice cake into pieces, making sure each piece has both some crispy potatoes and rice. alternatively, you can scoop all of the rice out of the pan and into a bowl, and serve the potato on top.

a skip-the-e.coli couscous salad.

can we talk about the fact that europe has an mini e. coli epidemic on its hands? and that the vast majority of infections have been found in northern germany?! people. this ain't good.

moreover, while everyone else is busy playing the blame game - was it or was it not spain who let the bacteria out of the bag?! - i have other (more egocentric) things on my mind. specifically: how's a girl supposed to get enough veggies in her diet when the produce available may be potentially lethal? 

cucumbers are definitely out, and i must admit i'm not so keen on reaching for that head of iceberg lettuce either. so far, it looks like tomatoes and onions are safe. and you can't go wrong with anything canned or boxed (like chickpeas and couscous, for instance).

hence: a minimal-veggie couscous salad to hopefully keep myself (and my readers!) alive.

i admit, maybe the term "salad" is a stretch. but i try to eat some salad everyday, and desperate times call for desperate measures/definitions of what one calls a "salad". still, it's a very tasty dish, mostly owing to the spices (cumin and coriander), herbs (cilantro and parsley), and simple dressing (garlic, olive oil, and lemon).

it's also great to pack in tupperware and bring to a potluck! i made it earlier in the day and stuck in the fridge for a bit to chill before serving, but room temperature is also delicious.

moroccan chickpea and couscous salad

1 cup quick-cooking couscous

¼ cup dried apricots, chopped finely

1¼ cups vegetable stock

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon water

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 clove garlic—minced

1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 ½ teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons salt

10 baby carrots, cut into thin slivers

8 cherry tomatoes, roasted

3/4 red onion, diced finely

1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed thoroughly

2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

mix the couscous with the apricots in a bowl and pour into a pot of boiling vegetable stock. cover with a lid or plate to seal in the steam and let sit for 5-8 minutes or until all of the stock has been absorbed.

meanwhile, drain the chickpeas and chop the carrots, onion, parsley, and coriander. quarter the tomatoes, sprinkle with some salt and pepper, and roast in the oven on a piece of tin foil at 150 degrees celsius about 12 minutes. place all ingredients in a large bowl. when the couscous is ready, fluff it up with a fork and add it to the bowl. toss together until well combined.

in a separate little bowl, combine the oil, water, lemon juice, garlic, spices, and salt. pour over the couscous and stir once again. salt and pepper to taste. 

curried greens and chickpea pita.

some savory! can it truly be?! you betcha! i told you: the hobbit chef can also cook things that aren't muffins. that said, she's also noticing and feeling slightly disturbed by the fact that her kitchen starts to feel "empty" when there aren't fresh batches of muffins in the pantry...

this quick and simple non-muffin dish is taken from one of my only favorite veggie blogs, fresh365. granted, i love the site primarily for its beautiful and appetizing pictures and recipes that don't require 800 obscure ingredients, but even the more advanced cooks among us can find plenty of more complicated, sophisticated recipes there.

i changed the recipe slightly, throwing in some leftover zucchini and substituting in turmeric when ground cumin was called for. to be honest, the dish wasn't quite as spicy as i had expected, so i wouldn't hesitate to throw in a bit more curry and coriander in the final moments. if you end up overdoing it (not that that's ever happened to me...), just toss in some additional pre-cooked rice to return it to a slightly more bland (and edible!) state.



ingredients:



1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 14-oz can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 ½ cups cooked rice
1 ½ cups kale, chopped
1 cup zucchini, chopped
1/4 c green onions, chopped
8 cherry tomatoes, diced
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
4 whole wheat pitas



to do!

heat oil in a large pan over medium heat and add cumin seeds and garlic. cook 3 minutes, until the garlic begins to brown.

stir in the chickpeas and coat with the oil. add in the broth and bring to a boil. mix in the rice, greens, curry, cumin, and coriander. cook 3-4 minutes, until the greens begin to wilt.

remove from heat and stir in the green onions and tomatoes. warm some pitas in the oven. serve chickpeas alongside or inside pitas!

a bag of pearl couscous is a terrible thing to go to waste.

where one needs to go in bremen to find a carton of israeli couscous continues to elude me. i mean, i'm sure it's somewhere... but that somewhere is probably a place i would never think/want to go to. bremen-nord? or bremerhaven (shudders).

considering the last time i went to bremerhaven, my boyfriend got food poisoning and i soul-poisoning, i doubt i'll be risking a similar experience any time soon on my quest to locate this perfectly plump and rounded pasta-like treat.

for most of you, however, it should be available in your local supermarket (trader joes!). it's not a whole grain, no, but it certainly feels healthy. and in the end, isn't it about how food makes you feel that matters?!?!

...

this salad is a lovely side or main dish with minimal ingredients but packing a lot of nice flavors, particularly because of the roasted tomatoes. if you're looking for a main course, toss in some feta and chickpeas. it a also stores really well in the fridge and get tastier as the flavors sink in. that said, you'll be lucky if you don't wipe the bowl clean on the first go.

israeli couscous salad:

1 1/2 cups israeli couscous

4 cups washed baby spinach

1/2 red onion, chopped fine

15 cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 cucumber, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup kalamata or black olives, pitted and halved

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

1 handful chopped fresh parsley

6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled (optional)

1 can chickpeas (optional)

what to do:

1. preheat oven to 250 degrees fahrenheit. halve tomatoes and place, cut sides up, in one layer on a baking pan. roast in middle of oven until tomatoes are slightly shriveled around edges, approximately 1 hour. cool in pan on a rack for 30 minutes.

2. bring a pot of water to boil. add a pinch of salt and the couscous. reduce heat slightly and cook couscous in the water for 6-8 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside.

3. mix all salad ingredients, including tomatoes, in a large bowl. add cooked couscous, oil, vinegar and lemon juice and mix well. taste and add salt and pepper and/or additional dressing to taste, if desired.