Vegan Heaven - Veggie Stuffed Baked Potatoes

Potatoes sure get a bad rap. The problem has more to do with the way Americans tend to serve them than the vegetable itself. Yes, if you deep fry them, or load 'em with butter and sour cream, they will fall into disgrace. But remember, it's not the potato's fault.

One of my favorite meals is a vegan one--baked stuffed potatoes. And it's a meal you can make while you are busy doing other things. A russet potato makes the best baked potato. All you gotta do is throw that tater into a 375 degree oven. Set a timer for twenty minutes and forget about it.

When time's up, chop any fresh veggies you have in the house with which you feel like stuffing that spud. (Notice in my photo it looks like too many vegetables for one potato, but remember, it will cook down.) Onion should always be used, because they have a contrasting texture, and when cooked are sweet. Today, I used: a quarter of a yellow onion chopped roughly, a clove of garlic minced, a diced Roma tomato, about half a small carrot sliced thinly,and chopped collard greens.

Put these into a casserole dish with some extra virgin olive oil and season. For additional flavor, add a couple of pinches of thyme, red pepper flakes, and cracked black pepper. Then toss them to distribute seasoning and coat the veggies with oil. My final deed is to splash in a tablespoon or two of white wine (of course). This will not only flavor them, but will provide extra moisture which will greatly benefit the potato later.

Place the casserole dish in the oven with the potato. While you're there, assess that tater by squeezing it. Use a hot pad to do this. Set the timer for another fifteen minutes (based on your assessment) and walk away.

When the timer rings, or if it hasn't gone off but the house smells like it's on fire, go check your work. The potato should look plumped out too, and if it does, its really done. Be careful when you squeeze, 'cause it could pop. If the potato is still hard, let it hang in another five minutes.

Use that timer, and keep at it until you get the desired result. All oven temps vary and potato sizes vary, so you have to focus toward the end of bake time.

The veggies should look nicely roasted and collapsed in volume. But by having added that little bit of wine, they should look juicy, too. Let everything cool briefly. Then, when you know you won't burn yourself, put the potato in a personal serving bowl and cut it open. Squeeze the sides and work it generally with a fork.

First the potato will need sea salt and olive oil (I am never afraid to be liberal with olive oil--it is healthy and represents all the fat in this meal. Remember, a substantial number of vitamins are fat soluble.) Then introduce the cooked veggies, working them into the potato flesh. It should not look dry. If it does, add a few drops more olive oil. Taste. Season as necessary.

It seems I also had some Brussel sprouts on hand, and, splitting them into bite sized pieces, I roasted them in their own oiled dish while I was roasting everything else. Season them simply with salt and and black pepper and toss to coat them with the oil. They need nothing else, and you will reap great reward. Now these, you need to keep your eye on, as they will not give up their juices as will onions, and tomatoes. They will be done possibly in less than twenty minutes.

Altogether, it made a satisfying meal, leaving you wanting for little else but maybe a glass of wine. It is amazing how grateful your body is when you eat well.

Yucatan Black Bean Salad

My eating methodology is simple--if you consume something heavy (like Chicken Parmesan) one night, better follow it the next with lighter fare. How else might a woman keep her girlish form?

In agreement, my new roommate came up with this idea: buy a can of black beans for a salad. What a great idea!

However, being an aficionada, I find it is in the best interest of the meal itself to cook my own beans. They will be delicious and not as time consuming as one might think.

In the past, I would have made black beans the way I always have in Austin, which is probably a Diane Kennedy recipe. I learned to cook Mexican food at Fonda San Miguel way back in the day, and they adhere to a Northern Mexican tradition. However, here in the Crescent City, my friend, Caroline, showed me a Yucatan recipe with which I instantly fell in love.

Now you may say, why all that work just for a salad, and the answer is simple. Quality.

Out comes the stock pot. Into it, I place the sorted and rinsed black beans and a whole mess a water. I threw in about three bay leaves, some kosher salt, black pepper, about a third of a head of peeled garlic, roughly chopped, and an onion, also roughly chopped. Over the heat it goes, letting it come to a boil. If you are so fortunate as to have epazote on hand, by all means, introduce it to the pot, stem and all. This is a no fuss meal. I also added comino (cumin), extra virgin olive oil, and some red pepper flakes.

But here's a secret from the Yucatan: add equal portions of vinegar (I prefer cider but any vinegar will do) and orange juice. For a big pot of beans, that would be about a third to half a cup each.

Beans, like many other dishes, require acid. I have often made beans with all those ingredients excepting the vinegar and orange juice and have found it necessary to add a little wine. Wine, as you know, is my answer to everything.

But Caroline educated me on a more pure approach--purely Mexican, that is. In the Yucatan, food is often sweet because fruit abounds. Normally, in the Yucatan a bitter orange juice would be the sole additive, but in the absence of this extremely local ingredient, Caroline told me the orange juice/vinegar adaptation fits the bill. Wow, was she right. Muy delicioso.

So that's it. Done deal. Let the beans cook and cook until tender, adding more wates as necessary. I strained out enough for salad and put the rest away for another day.

Then all you have to do is make a quick salad. Use whatever you have on hand, I always say. Today, we used romaine lettuce, endive, carrots, broccoli, cucumber, roma tomatoes, and red bell pepper. The final touch were pickled peppers.

For salad dressing, a basic vinaigrette sufficed, as the beans were so full of flavor. Their richness satisfied the stomach. We felt lightly full and happy.

Mambo Italiano!

I couldn't upload these photos with my previous blog on Chicken Parmesan, but they are definitely part of the story. Had to show you up close the dried Shitaki mushrooms I purchased from a vendor at the Crescent Citiy Flea Market in New Orleans. And under that piece of wax paper is a chicken breast I had to pound out witih a jar of artichokes, since I didn't have something more appropriate. Yes! Go press forth (haha) and be the intrepid chef, undaunted by little things likek a lack of tools. You, too, can make an eye-popping Chicken Parmesan. read my blog from last night for more explicit instructions. But above all, remember, you can't eat well if you don't shop well. Search out the best markets in your community and then frequent them. Try to shop a couple of times a week, if possible, so your foods are as fresh and you get the best deals.

Mambo Italiano!

My new roommate, Diane, wanted to eat Chicken Parmesan, and you know I was all about it. Italian is my favorite cuisine! In fact, if you go back far enough in this blog, you will see I've made it before and showed you. So...we started where you should, by shopping.

Back at the home front, I began with a sauce. Please, please, whatever you do,don't use a jar sauce. It doesn't have any wine in it! Nor any other personal touch you wish. If time is an issue, make double the amount, as I have done here, and freeze half of it for later use.

First,chop the mighty Italian trio--onions, peppers (since I'm Texas, today I used jalapenos, seeds and all), and carrots. Yes, carrots. Into a heated sauce pan that has been coated nicely with olive oil. Extra Virgin. Season with sea or kosher salt. Let those sweat till the onions are opaque. Add a bay leaf or two and then garlic--lots of garlic. Don't let the garlic brown! I threw in a half of a large tomato that was just sitting around getting too old for salad. The rule of thumb in the kitchen is manage your food wisely!

Then come the liquids. First a can of tomatoes. Mine were whole, so I had to poke a freshly washed thumb into each over the pot and squeeze them before chopping nicely and then putting them all to pot. Also, I added a small can of tomato sauce and a can of tomato paste, water (about a cup), a can of chicken stock (no msg) and about two and a half cups of red wine (or white, don't fret--just don't use sweet wine).

Now that the liquids are in place, you may add the mushrooms. Any mushrooms will do, but dry add a really great depth of flavor. I used shitaki I got from the Crescent City Flea Market for a song. If you use fresh, chop and add them at the beginning with the onions.

The herbs to add are first and foremost bay leaf and thyme. Then, if you have it, add oregano, basil, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Let that settle and cook till it smells like heaven in your house. At least 30 minutes.

Time to deal with the bird. Use boneless breasts and pound them out thin. I was without any tools, so I improvised with a jar of food. Make it happen. Don't be daunted.

They will need to be coated. So I cut ciabatta bread thinly and put them in a casserole dish with olive oil on the bottom and commited them to the ovenat 250 degrees till they were toasty. But guess what--I used too much olive oil, and they weren't dry enough to make good crumbs. No matter. I will use them but differently, I think. So back to the chicken which still requires a coat. On a plate, I put about a third a cup of flour for the two breasts, salt,thyme, and pepper. I dredged the breasts in that and placed the first piece on a casserole dish with a smidge of olive oil and about a third of a cup of the marinara sauce I just made. Then I used those danged bread crumbs that were too oily, half of them that is, and on top of that, grated mozzarella and then shaved parmesan, and then another ladel of sauce. Then I did it all over again with the second piece of chicken, etc. At the end I added a final layer of mozzarella and parmesan, and drizzled it with olive oil. Into a 375 degree oven till it was nice and brown and bubbly.

Once done, I let it cool and then sprankled it with freshly chopped parsley for color. The eye deserves to be pleased as well as the palate.

I served it with a tiny salad, because it had been a long day, and I was too tired to go full tilt. But remember, the last meal of the day should include fresh vegetables for good digestion.

It was rich and fulfilling but we didn't overindulge, saving the other half of the casserole for another feast. That is another tip--make good use of your kitchen time.

Eat well and live long, friends!

Roulades de Sole, Baby!

As they say in New Orleans, laissez le bon temps roulez! With that thought in mind, and some fillets of sole freshly purchased, I had in mind to roll 'em up with some marvelous ciabatta bread and fresh Italian parsley. Turned out there was a can of crabmeat in the pantry, and you know that had to be included. So...here's how it went down:

Discovered that the food processor wasn't working--bummer. Oh, well, we gots da skills here; no matter. Instead, I sliced the ciabatta bread very thinly and then threw it into a baking dish into which I'd smeared a bit of extra virgin olive oil. That went into a 250 degree oven. I had to rearrange the slices now and then, because the heat draws out moisture on the exterior pieces first, and I wanted it to be evenly dry. Once done, out it came. I used a glass cup to crush the bread into crumbs. Off to the side it went.

Next, I chopped that beautiful flat-leafed parslely fairly fine and set that aside as well.

Other veggies for the filling were a bit of onion, carrot and the last of some crimini mushrooms from the fridge, all finely chopped. I heated a skillet, added olive oil, and then sauteed those three veggies, seasoning them once they hit the heat (to season is to salt--I use kosher or sea salt). Some cracked black pepper seemed like a good plan, so I went with it. Once the onions looked opaque, I introduced the drained crabmeat, making sure it was pretty well squeezed out. We don't want those incredible bread crumbs to get soggy.

Sole is sweet, but I know I wanted to use garlic, so I had to be careful not to overpower the fish. I used a small clove, chopped finely and mashed a little with the flat of my knife, and threw that into the pan, stirring. Here's the important part. I tasted it. Tasting your food as you go is essential. Satisfied, I let it heat together a bit more and then added the bread crumbs, using a wooden spoon to keep it moving. I removed it from the heat, added the parsley, and tasted it again. It needed something slightly acid but sweet to work well with the sole, so I used the juice of a mere wedge of lime--which is sweeter than a lemon.

Now it's time for the fillets. I laid them out, seasoned them slightly, and squeezed a little more lime juice over them before patting the filling firmly onto each fillet, making sure to hold back about a third or so of the crumbs for the finale. It's not too hard a trick to roll up the fillets with their filling. Not at all. Into the same baking dish I'd used for the bread crumbs, I added a bit more olive oil and placed the roulades therein, squeezed a bit more lime juice on top--not too much--don't want the citrus to overpower it all, just liven it up--and sprankled the rest of the bread/crab filling on top of the fish rolls. I wasn't going to waste a bit of it, so when the roulades were nicely covered, I sprankled the rest of the filling right onto the bottom of the dish. Lastly, I drizzled a bit of olive oil on top of roulades, and into a 375 degree oven they went for about 12 minutes. Oven temps differ, so check them after ten minutes, like I did.

The flavor was quite delicate, yet delectable, slightly crispy due to the crumbs, but oh so tender, because they were not overcooked. This is a wonderful dish with a nice summer salad--and you certainly won't add inches to the waitline yet will be wonderfully sated! A slice of cantaloupe was the perfect dessert!

Soup's On in The Big Easy!

Not because it's September, and not because it rained two times today, but because I needed to, there's gonna be soup in the house. In fact, I've been thinking about it for days. True, you can make a soup out of just about anything, but a really exquisite soup requires: a good stock (canned okay with me if no MSG or preservatives. I prefer a carton of organic stock, if I can find it), wine (don't skimp on it), and a roux.

Who knew what kind of soup I was going to make until I was in the store and saw what veggies were to be had. I settled on collard greens, parsley, a yellow onion, garlic, and carrots, knowing I would use canned tomatoes. On hand in the fridge was an aging zucchini, which I had to peel to use, but I'm too poor to throw it out. I also purchased some ground turkey and used about a third of the package for this soup, freezing the rest.

So--here's what I came up with--Collard Green and Meatball Soup. Trust me. Gonna love it.

Other ingredients herein I had in the pantry.

In a sauce pot, with water bring to boil a coupla hands each of dried garbanzos and some wonderful dried shitaki mushrooms, along with three cloves of garlic and a bay leaf. Cook them until the beans were tender, adding water as necessary. Make sure you have some fluid left in the pot once the beans are done--about a cup or so will work.

Into that add two cans of chicken broth and a can of diced tomatoes.

Now here's the important part for a good soup. In a saute pan, began a roux. Even though I love pie and I make my crusts with butter, I never cook with butter. Olive oil is my "lipid of choice" as Mario Batali would say. So, once the pan is hot, add olive oil to cover the bottom nicely and sprankle in about a quarter cup of flour (we Texans never "sprinkle"--we "sprankle"). Today I stirred and scraped my roux with a wooden spoon and cooked it until the smoke alarm went off. We can be quite challenged in a tiny kitchen, but our work can be accomplished. I would have preferred to let it cook ten minutes, but God gave me eight, and I ran with it. The roux should look nice and brown; and if you could taste it without frying off your tongue, it would taste nutty.

Into the broth goes the roux. Ya need a roux to give your soup body and dimension. I cannot begin to describe how much more complex and wonderful your soups will become if you take on the challenge of a roux. Less than ten minutes, folks, to make legendary soup.

Now for the wine. Use what you have on hand. About four cups worth. I'm a little poor lately, so I added a coupla a cups of chardonnay, a cup of cabernet sauvignon, and maybe another cup of a zinfandel. The dredges...hahaha. But it works because it is a tomato-mushroom based soup, so it won't turn purple or distress your artistic sensibilities (all cooks are artists).

About now is the time to taste your broth and season appropriately. Canned broths have salt in them unless they expressly say otherwise, so tasting first is important. Grind in some black pepper. Then throw into the pot:

1 carrot, sliced,

1/2 jalapeno minced finely (leaving out half the seeds--or not!!)

4 more cloves minced garlic

1 sliced zucchini

Let it cook just barely at a boil.

Put your cleaned saute pan back to the heat, added olive oil and throw in half a chopped yellow onion and let that sweat till they're opaque.

Now for the meatballs: Chop a small handful of parsley and add it to the ground turkey in a bowl along with salt and pepper. Roll them into tiny meatballs and drop them into the skillet to be browned. Once done, into the soup pot it goes, along with about half the bunch of collard greens, chopped thinly (make sure to give several cross cuts, as the strands can become long and difficult to manage on spoon at the dinner table). For flavor, I gave it some wonderful dried thyme my friend, Diane, provided, but if you have fresh, go for it.

Lastly, it seemed right to me to add a handful and a half of cracked wheat. I wanted the soup to be hearty, because it was all I could afford to serve tonight.

Taste, season as necessary. Then, call the peasants to dinner! The flavors of the wine, roux, mushrooms, and garlic roll delightfully over the tongue. You will each require a second bowl. We sure did!

Savory Pie - Quiche

There are few differences between sweet and savory pie. When I make a sweet pie, I tend to want a slightly sweet crust, so I add up to a quarter cup of sugar to the flour before introducing it to butter. But don't stop there. Add spices to your pie dough that will compliment the flavors of its filling--something like nutmeg or cinnamon or even cardamom.

Usually when I make a savory pie, I only use salt and cayenne, but I've gone with nutmeg there, too, on occasion. Every day is a different day, and we learn by experimenting. Follow your heart and, above all, your taste buds.

Other than sweetness and spice, the pie dough is the same--sweet or savory. I keep mine really basic--I've provided that recipe before which contains only butter, flour, and water (and the salt and spice). However, I have made empanadas wherein I will add egg and vinegar. In theory, the vinegar makes a more flaky crust, but my basic pie dough crust is so flaky, I'm inclined to hang with the French on this and keep it simple. It's gorgeous. Your mouth and your guests will love you.

So to remind you, once you've made your pie dough, let it rest in the fridge, so the butter stays firm, which will assure flakiness. When you're ready, roll out your crust, fold it over and lay it into a pie pan. That crust should feel cold on your hand, or you've goofed. Crimp the edges, and then put that sucker back into the fridge to keep it cold while you do other chores--like make the filling.

If you want a meat filling, cook the meat first. I prefer to use a roasted or braised meat, but if you are pressed for time, you can broil or pan fry something. I will give instructions on meat-filled pies and quiches later.

Today, it's a veggie quiche. Now certainly you could fire roast veggies such as eggplant or red bell pepper or poblano or even onion (yummy). Coat them with a touch of olive oil and put them on a wire rack right over your gas flame or on the grill and let them char and/or blister. If you wish to peel your peppers you may, but the flavor's in the char, darlin'. Cut the veggies to edible size--but don't make it too small--it won't look or taste as good. Season them (means add salt).

If you just want to saute the veggies, do it. Use olive oil (or butter if you just gotta). Cut your veggies before you cook them, in this instance, and season them in the pan. If you saute your veggies, you can add herbs or spices at this point. If you've never made a savory pie, start out with simple flavors. I love the ubiquitous thyme. All by itself, it's great. Start simple, and once you know the taste, you can expand on your repertoire through experimentation. Let the veggies cool somewhat before you introduce them to the egg mixture.

Quiche is eggs and cream, basically. Ratios may vary, as what you have on hand may vary. Sometimes you have six eggs, sometimes you have more. Use what you have. But the more egg you put in, the more the quiche sets up. But you will need a lot of cream--or half and half, if you prefer, which will work. It usually takes at least a quart of cream to make a big ol' quiche, and that requires several eggs to bind it. I've used as many as seven eggs to make a quiche. In fact, that's how many I used to make the one pictured. If I am going with European flavors (like thyme) I ALWAYS use nutmeg. Use a fresh, whole nutmeg and grate it with a microplane for the best flavor. I love the taste, so I make sure to get it in there. Don't be afraid to pop a finger into your mixture to evaluate seasoning and spices. It's the only way to really be sure how it will taste. And don't add too much salt, as your veggies will also be seasoned. Seasoning occurs in layers. Wisk together your eggs, cream, and flavors. Taste.

Now grate some cheese. With the vegetables I chose today--mushrooms, onions, peppers--I decided on Jarlsberg--a nice, nutty-tasting swiss.

Now bring out that crust, baby. I put cheese on the bottom, but it's okay to put it into egg mix, too. Same with the veggies, either way works. But I like to put the cheese down, the veggies down and pour the egg mix atop. Then I put more cheese on top, and sometimes even decorate the top with veggies or sliced almonds, etc., if I have the time.

Into a preheated oven, 400 degrees. It can take some time to cook, but WATCH it. You want it to look puffed up like my picture, and nicely browned, but it should jiggle like a belly dancer if you shake the pan a little. Then it's done. Let her cool. It can stay out of the fridge for several hours, but put it to fridge if you have left overs or don't plan to serve it that day.

To reheat, microwave for about 50 seconds and throw it into a 300 degree oven for two or three minutes to bring it back to temp.