Monthly Archives: July 2020

Dairy-Free, Dry Beans, Weeknight Dinner, Winter

White Bean and Swiss Chard Stew

This is best served with a side of toasty, fresh bread (like focaccia or a a roll), so I’m including that here. Leave off if you’d like, or if you have other plans.

Print Recipe

White Bean and Swiss Chard Stew

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 45 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: California
Keyword: Dry Beans
Servings: 2 servings
Calories: 442kcal

Ingredients

Beans

  • ¾ cup cannellini beans
  • Bay leaf kombu, spices for beans

Soup and bread

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 large cloves garlic
  • 1 medium red onion
  • 8 oz carrots
  • 12 oz green Swiss chard
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ slab focaccia or other bread
  • 1 tbsp vegan butter
  • 1 tsp salt
  • freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  • First, make the beans. Soak the beans in advance in water and salt. Drain off nearly all of the water, to make the water less saline, and then add more water. Add the bean flavorings. Bring to a very gentle boil for 10 minutes and then turn down to a low simmer. (Given the fragile nature of cannellinis, you want to go low and slow.) When beans are done, reserve the beans and 3 cups of the liquid.
  • Mince the garlic cloves. Finely chop the red onion. Scrub and thinly slice carrots. Using a knife, cut Swiss chard stems from leaves. Thinly slice the stems. Halve the leaves lengthwise and slice crosswise into ½”-thick ribbons.
  • In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat 2 tbsp oil over medium-high until shimmering. Add about ½ tsp of the paprika and cook for 30 seconds. Add the garlic, diced onions, carrots, Swiss chard stems and 1 tsp salt. Stir well. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until everything is softened, about 7 minutes.
  • Add the beans and 1½ cups of the bean liquid. Add smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Then add the Swiss chard leaves and cook until wilted, about 4 minutes. Season to taste.
  • Serve with bread.

Notes

Serves 2

Nutrition

Calories: 442kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2005mg | Potassium: 1176mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 30601IU | Vitamin C: 63mg | Calcium: 188mg | Iron: 6mg
Nutrition Facts
White Bean and Swiss Chard Stew
Amount Per Serving
Calories 442 Calories from Fat 189
% Daily Value*
Fat 21g32%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Trans Fat 1g
Sodium 2005mg87%
Potassium 1176mg34%
Carbohydrates 55g18%
Fiber 11g46%
Sugar 10g11%
Protein 12g24%
Vitamin A 30601IU612%
Vitamin C 63mg76%
Calcium 188mg19%
Iron 6mg33%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Spring, Weekend Dinner, Weeknight Dinner

Spring Veggie Farro Bowl with Feta

This was a very surprisingly delicious meal the first time we made it. There are some interesting combinations I wouldn’t have considered. It’s also fairly quick to make and healthy.

Print Recipe

Spring Veggie Farro Bowl with Feta

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Vegetarian
Keyword: Inspired by Marley Spoon, Spring
Servings: 3 servings
Calories: 461kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 oz farro
  • 4 oz radishes
  • ½ lb asparagus
  • 1 Fresno chile or 1 Anaheim chile
  • 1 oz scallions
  • ¼ oz fresh dill or thyme
  • 4 oz feta
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar or other sweet vinegar
  • ¼ tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 oz pepitas optional

Instructions

  • Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil with plenty of salt. Add ⅔ cups farro and cook for 15-20 minutes, until cooked. Drain well and shake to get most of the liquid out.
  • While that is cooking, prepare the eggs. In a large saucepan or stock pot, add about 1" water and a steamer basket. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling heavily, gently lower the eggs into the pot. Cover and cook the eggs for about 8 minutes to get a semi-soft interior texture.
  • Preheat oven to 450ºF, with a rack in the upper third of the oven. Trim ends from the radishes and cut into ½” wedges. Trim the woody ends from the asparagus. Halve the Fresno chile, discard the stem and seeds and finely chop.
  • In a small bowl, whisk 2 tbsp oil, 1 tbsp vinegar, a ¼ tsp each sugar, salt and pepper. Stir in the chopped pepper and set aside to marinate.
  • On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the asparagus and radishes with 1 tbsp oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast on the upper rack until the asparagus is bright green and everything is cooked, about 8-10 minutes.
  • Trim the scallions and thinly slice. Roughly chop dill fronds and tender stems (or thyme leaves). Crumble the feta into a small bowl and add the ¼ cup sour cream and mash together with a fork. Stir in the scallions, dill/thyme and 2 tbsp water. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Serve farro, topped with radishes and asparagus, then topped with the feta cream mix, then the eggs (sliced in half). Sprinkle on pepitas and drizzle on the chile and vinaigrette.

Nutrition

Calories: 461kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 207mg | Sodium: 1361mg | Potassium: 589mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1381IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 290mg | Iron: 5mg
Nutrition Facts
Spring Veggie Farro Bowl with Feta
Amount Per Serving
Calories 461 Calories from Fat 234
% Daily Value*
Fat 26g40%
Saturated Fat 11g69%
Trans Fat 1g
Cholesterol 207mg69%
Sodium 1361mg59%
Potassium 589mg17%
Carbohydrates 40g13%
Fiber 10g42%
Sugar 6g7%
Protein 20g40%
Vitamin A 1381IU28%
Vitamin C 16mg19%
Calcium 290mg29%
Iron 5mg28%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Basics, Pressure Cooker, Projects, Snack, Summer

Mixed Berry Jam

You want sugar content, by weight, to eventually equal 65% of the mixture. I’d start with 50%-55% sugar by weight, so you don’t get too sugary a result. Going lower than this could cause you to cook the jam too long to remove water, and the long cook will make it less fresh tasting (and remove the natural pectin). You could adjust with added pectin and/or acid too, if you drop the sugar.

Print Recipe

Mixed Berry Jam

Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time2 hours
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: American, Classic
Keyword: Gift, Jam, Summer

Ingredients

  • 500 g strawberries
  • 550 g other berries e.g., ½ raspberries, ¼ blackberries, ¼ loganberries
  • 550 g sugar
  • ¼ cup lime juice ~3 limes
  • 1 tbsp pectin

Instructions

  • Put spoons in the freezer. First, clean and crush the berries. Start by washing them and picking through for any obvious issues. Remote the tops from the strawberries. Roughly chop the strawberries. Add everything to a very large pan – preferably one that is both wide and quite deep. Weigh out the sugar in a bowl. Sprinkle just a small amount of the sugar onto the berries and toss. Let sit for a few minutes while you prep jars and clean up a little, to get ready for the next steps. (Clean the jars, lids and bands, prepare the water bath canner for sterilizing jars, etc.)
  • Once you have everything else ready, more or less, crush the fruit some (it should have sweat some, from the sugar). Put the berries over a medium heat, add about half of the lime juice, and stir until everything is liquid. Now, add the rest of the sugar and the pectin and cook over medium-low, stirring frequently. Watch for foam and stir it down when needed.
  • Sterilize the jars, since you’ll be processing them for less than 10 minutes. Do this by filling the canner you’ll be using with the empty jars and boiling for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180ºF, so you can keep them warm. Remove each and drain the water back into the canner, for use during processing. Place sterilized jars in a large Pyrex baking dish and place in the oven while you finish the jam. Leave the water and canning setup.
  • At this point, the jam will hopefully be reaching temperature. You need it to get to 217ºF to 226ºF, which demonstrates enough water has evaporated that the mixture is now 65% sugar. If you haven’t quite reached this temperature, turn up the heat some and stir until water evaporates away.
  • Once it reaches the correct temperature, test the consistency with the spoon test. (Take a frozen spoon, dip it in carefully and put in the fridge for a minute or so. Test consistency once it’s cooled.)
  • When it’s done, remove the jars from the oven and turn off the oven. Turn the heat back on for the water bath canner. Fill each of your jars with jam, leaving just ¼” headroom. Place lid on top and screw the lid on finger-tight. Place in the water bath canner, careful not to tip them over.
  • Bring the canner to boiling for 5 minutes. Then turn off the heat for about 10 minutes and then remove the jars. Do not disturb for 12-24 hours. Then you can remove the lids and check seals.
Dry Beans, Pressure Cooker, Rotation, Weekend Dinner, Weeknight Dinner

Couscous, Feta and Chickpeas

Print Recipe

Couscous, Feta and Chickpeas

Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time2 hours
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: California
Keyword: Dry Beans
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 429kcal

Equipment

  • Pressure cooker
  • Casserole dish (2 quart or larger)

Ingredients

Beans

  • ½ cup dry chickpeas
  • 1 bay leaf

Everything else

  • 1 pint grape tomatoes halved
  • 3 scallions thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 cloves garlic minced or crushed
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 3 sprigs oregano, rosemary or sage
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 bunch dill leaves and tender stems minced
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest from 1 lemon
  • ¾ tsp cumin
  • 4 ounces couscous
  • 4 oz feta
  • 2 oz Parmesan finely shredded

Instructions

Beans

  • Pre-soak the beans for about 6-8 hours in 1% salinity water. Drain and add to a pressure cooker along with enough water to cover the beans. Add the bay leaf. Bring to high pressure for 8 minutes. Allow pressure to release for 25 minutes and then release the rest of the pressure manually. Check for softness and cook for longer if needed. If done, drain the beans, discarding the water. Proceed once beans are done.

Everything else

  • Once ingredients are prepared, preheat the oven to 450ºF. In a large casserole dish, toss together the halved tomatoes, scallions, 2 tbsp oil, 1 tbsp vinegar, minced garlic, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper and the herb sprigs. Roast tomatoes in the oven until tender, about 15 minutes.
  • While that roasts, heat the stock until it boils. Stir in the chipped dill, lemon zest and cumin.
  • Remove the tomatoes from the oven and add the stock, couscous and chickpeas. Cover pan tightly (with foil if necessary) and return to oven for 20 minutes.
  • After 20 minutes, remove from the oven and remove the lid. Remove the herb sprigs and fold in most of the feta and half of the Parmesan. Then put the remaining feta and parmesan on the top. Bake uncovered until the feta starts to melt, another 5 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 429kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 1323mg | Potassium: 627mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1600IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 370mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition Facts
Couscous, Feta and Chickpeas
Amount Per Serving
Calories 429 Calories from Fat 171
% Daily Value*
Fat 19g29%
Saturated Fat 8g50%
Cholesterol 35mg12%
Sodium 1323mg58%
Potassium 627mg18%
Carbohydrates 47g16%
Fiber 8g33%
Sugar 9g10%
Protein 19g38%
Vitamin A 1600IU32%
Vitamin C 22mg27%
Calcium 370mg37%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.