the easiest dinner after a day of apple crisp making: hearty chimichurri rice and bean soup

I needed a dinner option last night that was easy. And vegetarian. And that everyone would enjoy. And that could be made with minimal effort...

Now on the tenth (!) year as a back-to-school tradition, we'd spent the morning making apple crisp for the boys' teachers, the afternoon swimming at a friend's, and the early evening chauffeuring to physical therapy for one, cross-training for the other. By the time we rolled home-- at dinnertime-- I really wanted/needed someone else to tackle dinner.

Trader Joe's to the rescue. The boys sampled this while we were picking up our (zillion pounds) of apples and both claimed it was really good. Three ingredients into a pot? Sounds good to me too.

Special bonus that all the ingredients can be kept on hand in the pantry and freezer. So, whether you find yourself in need of a night off of cooking because you made apple crisp for 20 families, or just because you're a fan of the quick and easy, this one's a keeper.

Trader Joe's Chimichurri Rice and Black Bean Soup
recipe credit going to the nice lady giving out samples in the Darien, CT store
(4-6 servings; can double)

one 32-oz carton Roasted Tomato-Red Pepper Soup
one or two 14-oz can(s) black beans, rinsed and drained
one 16-oz bag Chimichurri Rice (freezer section)
optional - sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
optional - avocado

Place soup, black beans and rice in a pot. Heat over medium-low until warm. Serve with sour cream, Greek yogurt, and/or chunks of fresh avocado. Leftovers can be frozen.

For posterity's sake, I'm including a few photos from the apple crisp making as well. Each year I think, "should we do it again?" And each year, it's the one cooking project the kids really look forward to. So, I embraced the happy chaos again, and hope that this token of thanks for all their hard work in the year ahead is enjoyed by each teacher's family.

I know it drives some of you crazy that we don't use a recipe for our apple crisp. I linked a few apple crisp recipes here in this post from 2009. This pic from later in 2009 always brings a smile. And I recall that back in 2013 we attempted to apple pick before embarking on the project. Lesson learned that apples aren't really in season when school starts here in CT.  

cranberry walnut quinoa salad with orange vinaigrette

'Tis the season when we're gathering with family and friends... and sometimes we're asked to bring a little something along to contribute to the feast. There's a chill in the air, the leaves are turning (or maybe there's already snow on the ground where you are!), and comfort foods are the norm at many of these gatherings. With that in mind, I like to bring something healthy-- that's quick and easy to whip up-- as my potluck contribution. I recently made this quinoa salad to rave reviews. It is so good {and good for you!}. While it's really, really simple to make, the flavors and different textures make it special enough to be a part of your next gathering, or holiday feast. Plus, it can be made up to three days ahead, making it a perfect recipe for the busy holiday season.

Cranberry Walnut Quinoa Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

(makes 8-10 servings)

4 cups broth (vegetable or chicken, or you can use water)
2 cups (12 oz) quinoa
6 scallions, white parts chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
2 oranges, zested and juiced
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar 
salt and pepper, to taste

Bring 4 cups of broth (or water) and 2 cups of quinoa to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until liquid is absorbed (about 15 minutes). While the quinoa is cooking combine rest of ingredients (scallions, cranberries, walnuts, fresh mint, orange zest and juice, olive oil and vinegar) in a mixing bowl. When the quinoa is cooked, add the warm quinoa to the mixing bowl. Stir to combine flavors. Serve warm or room temp. May be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. In fact it's even better after the flavors have had a chance to meld for a day+!

While the quinoa cooked, I chopped, zested and juiced the rest of the ingredients.

Once it was done cooking, the warm quinoa was added to the mixing bowl and everything was stirred to combine the ingredients.

Done! So easy, so delicious-- and so healthy!! 

• You can serve this quinoa salad warm or room temp. 
• You substitute sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds if you need it to be nut-free.
• This is a perfect vegetarian offering-- full of protein {quinoa} and good fat {walnuts and olive oil} and wonderful flavors.
• You could also add chopped cooked chicken breast, tofu or grilled shrimp to make it even heartier. 

Hope you and your friends enjoy this new recipe as much as we did!

For more of my make-ahead meal ideas that can be whipped out when the guests arrive, you might like to check out the "Stock Your Freezer in a Snap" program, which is full of casual, comforting dinners.

Hope you have a relaxed holiday season, full of good food, family and friends!

making the most of a leisurely morning: poached eggs on sautéed quinoa and kale with lemon zest

I woke up early and donned tennis whites. It's now almost noon and I'm still in my tennis whites, though they won't see a court today. Best laid social/workout plans derailed by a sick child. The upside of a morning tethered to the house: time to make a leisurely breakfast. Actually it took me about 10 minutes to make... but that's 10 minutes I don't usually have on a busy school morning. I'll share the recipe with you, in case you too find yourself with 10 extra minutes, and some quinoa, kale, eggs, and a lemon...

Sauteed Baby Kale and Quinoa with Poached Eggs and Lemon Zest

(serves 1 happy mom)

olive oil

1 cup organic baby kale

1/2 cup cooked quinoa*

1- 2 eggs

1 teaspoon vinegar (I used cider vinegar)

zest of 1 lemon

coarse sea salt and pepper, to taste

Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. While waiting for that to boil, sauté kale and cooked quinoa in a bit of olive oil. (I used Olave Garlic-infused oil, yum). Pop a lid on the greens and quinoa, turn heat off and just let the kale wilt a bit. Pop the kale/quinoa mixture onto a pretty plate. (Remember, this is the bright spot in your day...)

When the water in the saucepan comes to a boil, turn heat to low so it's just at a simmer. Add a teaspoon of vinegar to the water, then stir it in a circular motion with a spoon to create a 'whirlpool'. Slide cracked egg(s) into the center  of the 'whirlpool', then let the egg cook for 3-4 minutes. (This will cook the whites but leave the yolk a little runny.) Remove the egg with a slotted spoon, and place it/them on top of the kale/quinoa mixture. Grind a little salt and pepper over the top, and zest a lemon atop that. Perfect. 

* I've started making a bowl of quinoa at the beginning of the week and storing it in the fridge. Not that it takes long to make, but kind of like cut up fruits and veggies-- having it readily available and ready to go means that I'll use it!

What is farro?!

Thank you to my friends who emailed me, I realized that I posted that amazing farro risotto recipe, but didn't properly describe what farro is! Here's a quickie explanation taken straight off the package: "farro is one of the oldest unhybridized forms of wheat and has been a part of the Italian diet for centuries...high in fiber and minerals, it is very versatile. It's a hardy plant which does not require the use of fertilizers or pesticides."

Don't feel bad if you'd never heard of farro before my last post. I was first introduced to farro a few years ago when I took a "Healthy Cuisines" professional development course at the Culinary Institute of America's Greystone campus with my dear friend, Cindy. Ah, fabulous memories of that week. When not donning our chef whites and holding our own as the only two women in the kitchen, Cindy and I were trolling vineyards and restaurants and filling our suitcases with farro to bring back home. Nowadays, it's much more readily available so do give this delicious farro risotto recipe a try!

As promised...my Farro-Butternut Squash Risotto recipe

Really, is there anything better than a comforting, healthful meal on a cold, rainy night? After basically ignoring my family for a few days as I prepped and then taught several cooking lessons this week, yesterday was my day to redeem myself. My older child read and hung out in the kitchen with me, and my little one brought me Lego creation after Lego creation to admire as I stirred the risotto. Unlike most of the recipes I have passed along to you that have quick assembly and then a half hour or so cook time, this one requires you to attend to the pot for that half hour. But it is worth it, trust me.

Farro-Butternut Squash Risotto

(Makes 8-10 servings)

olive oil

whole farro (I used a 1.1 lb package b/c I wanted to make enough for a small army)

2 lbs butternut squash, chopped

1 onion, chopped

a few cloves of garlic, chopped

fresh sage

2 quarts of broth (vegetable or chicken, your choice)

5 oz. tub of shredded Parmesan

1/2 cup boursin, marscapone, goat cheese, cream cheese or heavy cream (optional)

In a large saucepan, heat a bit of olive oil. Add the onion and butternut squash and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is golden and softened. (The squash will not be cooked through, that's ok as it will continue to cook with the farro.) Add the farro and cook for about 1 minute, stirring to coat it with the oil. Add enough stock so you can still stir the risotto without it sloshing out...proper risotto recipes will tell you to "warm the stock and add it 1 cup at a time", but let's be realistic-- who has time to do that? It'll be just fine adding the whole first quart as long as your pot is big enough to hold that much liquid. (And room temp is just fine.) This is the half hour you'll be at the stovetop, so grab a glass of tea or wine and relax. Gently stir the risotto while the liquid is being absorbed. After that first quart of broth is absorbed, I add a handful of the Parmesan, stirring so it melts, and then I add more broth from the second quart-- this time go easy, adding the broth a little at a time while you're stirring so you don't overdo it on the liquid. (Last night, I went through about 1 1/2 quarts of broth.) Towards the end of the cook time, you may add a little extra creaminess (marscapone, goat cheese, boursin, heavy cream) if you'd like, and the remainder of the shredded Parmesan and the fresh sage. The farro is done when it is al dente (farro grains don't melt into each other like Arborio rice) and enrobed in the thick, creamy liquid, about 25-30 minutes total. Season with salt and pepper.

The benefit of using farro is that farro risotto holds up much better to reheating than regular aborio rice risotto. So, once it's cooled down, you can package up the remainder for a delicious lunch or dinner in the next few days. Simply add a bit of the leftover broth to your risotto when reheating it.

Here is the recipe in photos. Enjoy!

In a large saucepan, I sauteed the onion and butternut squash over moderate heat until the onion was softened.

Add the farro...

and cook for about 1 minute, stirring to coat it with the oil.

I wasn't kidding when I said I poured the whole first quart of broth in. Patience is not my virtue. It works just fine this way. Then you simply stir the risotto until that first batch of broth is absorbed.

I forgot to take a photo of the risotto when the first batch of broth was absorbed... this was about halfway through the cook time. I had added more broth, the fresh sage, and a handful of Parmesan and continued to stir the risotto.

You can see that the broth is getting a sort of "creamy" look to it...

Towards the end of the cook time, I added a hearty dollop of Boursin I had in my fridge. This just makes the risotto a little creamier, but it's totally optional.

The last handful of Parmesan went in...

and the farro is done when it is al dente (try a piece) and enrobed in the thick, creamy liquid, The whole cook time should take 25-30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy! Oh, and if any of you have trouble finding farro in your local market, here's a link to order some. I bought mine at Whole Foods, in the pasta aisle (Rustichella d'abruzzo brand).

Sides to have on hand for quick summer dinners: Quinoa Salads

We are having a great summer. But, with days chock full of swimming, parks, tennis, and running around the yard, dinner is often times an afterthought. In the fall and winter I love to fill our home with the smell of something delicious bubbling on the stove. In the summer? We usually roll in minutes before dinnertime. The key to avoiding chaos is to have some good sides on hand. Then you can just pop some chicken or fish on the grill and dinner is made in minutes. The black bean salad I posted a few weeks ago is excellent and will hold up for several days. Quinoa salads are packed with protein and are another favorite here.

Quick Quinoa Salad with Lentils

Quinoa (cooked according to pkg, usually 1 cup quinoa: 2 cups water, covered at a simmer for about 15 minutes)
Trader Joe's Black Beluga Lentils (which come fully cooked in a pouch)
Veggie of choice (I used tomatoes)
Fresh herb (I used fresh mint)
Scallions, white part chopped
Lemon, zested and juiced
Smoked paprika
Vinaigrette (I used olive oil, lemon juice and a dash of kosher salt)

Combine everything in a bowl and let the flavors meld. Will last for up to a week in the fridge. Great served alongside grilled fish, chicken, veggies or meat.

You can vary the taste of your quinoa salad based upon the veggies/beans/etc. you add and the vinaigrette. For more of my variations on quinoa salads, you might like to click here or here.

Make Ahead Side Dishes: Wheat Berry Salad with Cranberries & Pecans

Having some interesting sides already made, in my fridge, makes putting lunch and dinner together a snap. Here’s the recipe for a wheat berry salad I recently made that was absolutely delicious. You do need some time to make this, since the wheat berries have to cook for 1 hour. So, it’s a good one to make when you’re home for the afternoon, overseeing homework, etc. Admittedly, this was a side I made for us, more than for the kids. The night I made it, I served it with a simple mustard glazed salmon and some edamame. Then during the week, I had it for lunch, and I did put a scoop on my children’s plate a couple different meals. My older child loved it; my younger child picked the carrots, cranberries and pecans out of it. Not bad. You pick your battles, right?

Wheat Berry Salad with Cranberries and Pecans

4 cups of water
1 ½ cups of wheat berries

Handful of shredded carrots
Handful of diced celery
Hanful of diced onion or scallion
Splash of olive oil
Handful of cranberries
Handful of pecans
Splash of red wine vinegar (start with just a little, as you can always add more)
Salt & pepper, to taste

Bring the 4 cups of water to a boil; add wheat berries (shown above, before they've been cooked).

Reduce the heat to low and cook the wheat berries (uncovered) for about 1 hour or until they are tender and moist (as shown above, see how they puff up and turn a pretty, rich brown color?). Drain any extra liquid.

Return the wheat berries to the saucepan and toss in remaining ingredients. Stir so everything is nicely combined. Once it sits for a couple minutes and the flavors meld, feel free to add a bit more vinegar (to make it more zesty/tangy) or you can add another splash of olive oil if you went too heavy handed on the vinegar the first go round!

Comforting (Vegetarian) Barley Stew

I have a cold. And when I have a cold, I want soup. Here’s a simple, delicious, comforting soup recipe I whipped up yesterday. It comes from the December 2009 issue of Bon Appetit in their “Fast Easy Fresh” section. I served it last night with hunks of the most wonderful bread ever. (More on Charlotte's Super Bread later, when I track down some details...)

Barley Stew with Leeks, Mushrooms and Greens
Slightly adapted from Bon Appetit, December 2009 issue

Olive oil
1 bunch of leeks, white and pale green parts, chopped
2 containers of sliced baby bella or cremini mushrooms
6 garlic cloves, pressed
A couple stalks of fresh rosemary, pulled off the stalk and minced
1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes in juice
1 cup of pearl barley (found by the dried beans in any supermarket)
4-6 cups of vegetable broth
2 bunches of kale, trimmed, center stalk removed b/c it’s really tough, leaves torn into smaller pieces
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Sauté the leeks until softened. Add mushrooms, garlic, and rosemary, increase heat to medium-high until mushrooms soften and brown a bit. Add tomatoes (and juice) from the can. Then add barley and 4 cups of broth. Bring to a boil, then cover and lower heat to low. Simmer 20 minutes, or until barley is cooked (it will look puffed up and moist). Then you’ll add the kale, (which will fill the pot!) and cover again until the kale is wilted, just a minute or two. You may need to add another cup or two of broth at this point, so the moisture wilts the kale, and the soup is desired consistency.

Here’s the pictorial version for those who want to see the soup made step by step…

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Sauté the leeks until softened.

Add mushrooms, garlic, and rosemary. Stir everything, and increase heat to medium-high until mushrooms soften and brown a bit.

Add tomatoes (and juice) from the can. Then add barley...

...and 4 cups of broth.

Bring to a boil, then cover and lower heat to low. Simmer 20 minutes, or until barley is cooked (it will look puffed up and moist, as in photo above).

Last step, you add the kale (which will fill the pot!). Stir the soup a bit, and then cover the pot again to wilt the kale. It will just take a minute or two. Note that you may need to add another cup or two of broth at this point (especially if, like me, you added a LOT of kale). The warm broth will wilt the kale, and the soup can be made desired consistency by adding more broth.

This soup is delicious with the earthiness of the rosemary and mushrooms. It will keep for a couple of days, covered in the fridge, and you can simply heat up individual portions.

Two Potluck Offerings (that use Giada's Basil Sauce)

(I replaced the photo of our vacation with the green bean one but seemed to have accidentally erased the quinoa one off my camera. So, enjoy the vacation photo instead!)

Wanted to share two potluck recipes I’ve made while on vacation, since many of you may be gearing up for Labor Day BBQs and the like. As you may remember from an earlier post, I fell in love with Giada’s Grilled Chicken with Basil Sauce that my friend, Christine, made for our Wednesday dinner swap. So, for these two potluck dishes, I simply whipped up Giada’s Basil Sauce and used it for a green bean side, and later for a quinoa salad. The sauce lasts for several days, so I double Giada’s recipe (the doubled recipe is posted below) and keep in on hand so I can use it in various ways throughout the week.

Green Beans in Giada’s Basil Sauce

Green beans, blanched
Giada’s Basil Sauce
Mixed greens (as a base)
Slivered almonds, lightly toasted
Lemon zest, for garnish

Trim the ends off the green beans, blanch them, and then toss in Giada’s Basil Sauce. I layered the platter with mixed greens, drizzled that with a little of the sauce, then put a mound of green beans, and sprinkled them with slivered almonds and lemon zest.


Quinoa Salad with Giada’s Basil Sauce

Quinoa, cooked according to package
Chicken broth (I used it to cook the quinoa, instead of water)
Feta, crumbled
Cherry tomatoes, halved (unless they’re already tiny)
Roasted Peppers, chopped
Pistachios, roasted
Basil, chiffonade
Giada’s Basil Sauce

Toss everything together, and dress with an ample amount of Giada’s Basil Sauce. Serve room temp. Will last several days in the fridge, and you can turn it into an entrée with the addition of some roasted veggies, grilled chicken or shrimp.

Note: The market out here only had one box of regular quinoa left on the shelf, so I also cooked up a second box of black quinoa (which I had never seen before). The black quinoa was costly, so I probably would just stick to the more easily found regular kind, but it sure was pretty.

Giada’s Basil Sauce is linked here, but for those who like everything in one place, I will copy the recipe below as well:

Giada’s Basil Sauce (makes about 3 cups)

2 cups olive oil
½ cup fresh lemon juice
2 cups lightly packed fresh basil leaves
4 cloves of garlic
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
salt and pepper, to taste

Put everything in a food processor or blender, and pulse until smooth. Store in a tight fitting container, in the fridge, for up to 1 week.

Monster Mush (aka Spinach Risotto)

Here’s another simple dinner, though this one requires you tend to it while it’s cooking. I recently made this on a night when dinner wasn’t ready (truth be told, I probably hadn’t even figured out what I was going to make) but the kids were hungry, tired and I seized the opportunity to make something easy and get them to bed! If you have kids who like oatmeal, risotto can be an easy sell.

While risotto from scratch is just as easy, I keep a box of Trader Joe’s Wild Mushroom Risotto in the pantry for those nights when I am in a pinch. So, this recipe included:
Trader Joe’s Wild Mushroom Risotto
Chicken Broth
1 bag Organic Frozen Spinach
Parmesan, shredded

I simply toasted the risotto in a bit of olive oil (which coats each grain of rice in a bit of fat) until the grains were translucent. I know this isn’t the way you’re technically supposed to do it, but I never have time to also heat the broth so I add it room temp (straight from the pantry) in small amounts while stirring the rice, almost constantly. In case you’re wondering if it works, yes. This is the way I’ve always done it, and it’s just fine. You’ll see the broth becoming creamy as the rice cooks and takes on some of the starch from the rice. Keep adding a bit more broth until the rice is also a creamy consistency but still a bit al dente. It takes a little practice because you want the liquid mostly absorbed, but the rice not too mushy. Texturally you want individual grains, so watching it as it is cooking is key and you should taste away as it cooks!

Because I was tossing in a bag of frozen—yes folks, straight from the freezer—spinach, I left the burner on low even though the rice was technically done. But normally, once the rice is cooked you’d remove it from the burner and stir in the cheese as a creamy finale. Count on the risotto taking about 20-25 minutes, start to finish (a tad bit longer than normal, since the broth wasn’t heated).

Experts always say you need to heat it right away, but in our house you’ve often got the kids eating early with me, and my husband eating much later. Maybe I’m not a purist, but I think my risotto heats up just fine with a little additional chicken broth to prevent it from becoming too dry.

If your children are bummed by the addition of veggies, try giving one of them the opportunity to name the meal something funny. We called this risotto with spinach, “Monster Mush” and they laughed at their wittiness as they ate it all up.

Quinoa Salad for a Potluck

Tonight my Wednesday Supper Exchange will be dining together. It’s been an amazing treat to cook once for the group and then receive meals the next three Wednesdays (click on the link above if you want to set up your own supper exchange, which I highly recommend for a healthy alternative to take-out when you need a break from cooking). Since this is the first night we're actually dining together instead of cooking/picking-up meals at each other's homes, we’ve divvied up the menu. Shocking, I know, that I offered to make one of my quinoa salads. As mentioned in earlier postings, I like quinoa because it’s healthy, it's quick to cook, and very versatile-- really you can add whatever you have on hand to come up with a delicious end product. Plus, it’s an easy sell if your children already eat cous cous…similar consistency.

Potluck Quinoa Salad

1 box of quinoa (prepared with vegetable stock which adds more flavor that cooking it in water)
Zucchini and Squash, drizzled with olive oil and grilled, then chopped
Trader Joe’s Roasted Red Peppers, drained and chopped
Cherry tomatoes, chopped
Feta cheese
Lemon Zest (a microplane zester comes in handy for zesting)
Vinaigrette (in a blender I combined lemon juice, olive oil, 2 cloves of garlic and a dash of Kosher salt)

Combine all ingredients and let sit for a couple of hours so flavors blend. Will last several days in the fridge, so makes an excellent lunch the next day...and the day after that...