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heirloom tomato galette.

June 4, 2012 — 19 Comments

This heirloom tomato and fresh mozzarella galette has officially just blown my mind.

Heirloom Tomato Galette

It’s almost like a pizza: A flaky, buttery pastry replaces the crust, a balsamic-Dijon blend acts as a sauce, slices of luscious heirloom tomatoes and fresh local mozzarella melt into each other like buttered toast, and a layer of garlic, olives, and Parmigiano-Reggiano seals the deal. Followed by a generous helping of fresh chives and basil after it comes out of the oven.

I realize it’s a bit of a stretch from this week’s recipe for The Food Matters Project, which is that of a savory tomato crisp. There, you won’t find a crust at all – tomatoes are topped with a cheesy breadcrumb-oat topping and baked. It’s really more of a gratin. (Get the original recipe here, on Nicole’s blog for her inspiring company seeking to teach others about doing good with food, The Giving Table.) Bittman points out that, of course, it would be best in summer when tomatoes are at their peak, but because baking them brings out their sweetness, you can get away with making this recipe all year long.

Heirloom Tomatoes + The Start of Dough

We’ve talked about the magical experience that is roasting tomatoes, and the same magic goes down here in this galette. Gorgeous heirloom tomatoes in vibrant shades of green, yellow, and red are a little piece of heaven this time of year, no matter how you slice it {hehe} … I ate the extra slices and scraps drizzled in olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt – heaven, I tell you! But when you cook them in this galette, their flavors intensify even moreso, and yes … MINDS. ARE. BLOWN.

In Food Matters Project, Main Dishes basil, chives, galettes, goat cheese, mozzarella, olives, savory tarts, summer recipes, tomatoes, vegetarian

roasted pepper + white bean dip.

February 20, 2012 — 18 Comments

This recipe is a perfect example of why blogging groups rock.

The Food Matters Cookbook is overflowing with recipes that I want to make. I’m elated when I receive email from fellow members that say, “Thank you SO much for starting this project. I can’t even begin to select a recipe because I want to make all of them!” That’s exactly how I felt, and I’m so happy we’re all in this together.

Not only for the biggest purpose to spread the word about the philosophy behind these recipes and this way of eating, but because flavor-bombs like this roasted red pepper pesto might have otherwise gone overlooked.

And not because it doesn’t look to be a delicious idea upon first glance – because it does. Moreso because of the overwhelming number of appealing recipes in this book. All of us, as both food bloggers and people who simply enjoy good food – yes, of course we have things in common, but we are also inherently different. Naturally, we’re going to be drawn to different recipes. That’s where the brilliance lies.

This was the first time I roasted peppers myself, and I was blown away by the difference between homemade and store-bought. There’s still a place in my heart – and in last-minute entertaining – for the jarred variety, but if you’ve got the extra time, there’s just no reason not to do it yourself. The difference in flavor is remarkable. And it’s super-easy to do.

In Food Matters Project, Healthy Eats, Starters dips + spreads, everything's better roasted, garlic, parmigiano-reggiano, roasted red peppers, vegetarian, walnuts, white beans

truffled mushroom lasagna.

February 15, 2012 — 5 Comments

Allow me to introduce to this truffled lasagna, also affectionately known as “sink lasagna.”

No, it doesn’t mean that this lasagna bears an ingredient list including everything but the kitchen sink. It means that this lasagna was so good, that I proceeded to eat it after dropping it…face-first…into the kitchen sink.

Not only did I eat it, but I actually served it to a friend. A poor, defenseless friend….I mean, really – what could she have said when I asked her if she minded eating it, once the laughter subsided and we got over the fact that yes, we just watched this lasagna plop right into the sink as I was trying to pour off the liquid that had accumulated in the dish from being refrigerated overnight?

Poor thing didn’t even like truffles.

This might be a good time to point out that I like to keep my sink super-clean. It’s true that Daniel’s the neat freak in the house but I get on his ass probably four times a week about the sink. My sink must be totes spotless, at all times. I don’t get why he refuses to understand this. It’s like, for someone who insists on cleaning the coffee table every time as much as a coaster has been placed on it – true story – how the hell can you not care about the fact that there is crusted food stuck to the side of the sink!? I don’t care if it’s the size of an earring back and no one can see it but me. It needs to go, and it needs to go now.

Thank goodness for my complete insanity, because I had just squeaky-cleaned my sink mere minutes before the incident. A bit of it fell too close to the garbage disposal for comfort, and so I had to part with it, but most of it was salvaged.

In Dinner Party Worthy, Main Dishes fall recipes, italian recipes, lasagna, meatless, mushrooms, pasta, truffle, vegetarian, winter recipes, worth the effort

chipotle-glazed squash skewers.

February 6, 2012 — 23 Comments

Welcome to the inaugural post for The Food Matters Project!

Each week, a group of food bloggers and home cooks are coming together to cook our way through The Food Matters Cookbook: 500 Revolutionary Recipes for Better Living by Mark Bittman.

I’m not gonna lie. This cookbook is overwhelming. Overwhelming in a way that I want to make at least 90% of the 500+recipes in this beast of a book. Overwhelming even moreso in a way that when I first read about what the “Food Matters” philosophy represents and stands for, I was so inspired that I decided to start this project.

In a nutshell, it’s about eating more plants and natural foods. In turn, we’re talking less meat and processed foods. And it’s about how all of that’s good for our health – duh – and the environment, too.

I selected this recipe to kick-off the launch of our project. It was so, so hard to pick just one. I’ve already cooked at least 5 or 6 recipes from the book, because they’re all just so simple and easy for everyday cooking. (If Mark Bittman’s new to you and if you’re a new-ish cook, I highly recommend you check out another book of his as well: How to Cook Everything.) There’s something about the way he explains things that’s so easy to understand, and his recipes are totally no-nonsense. He gives options and ideas for how to adapt almost any given recipe, so you can truly feel confident in what you’re doing if you’re new to experimenting with different flavors or ingredients. He makes cooking fun – and easy.

You know where I stand on this: If you’re not having fun, you’re doing it wrong. And yes, this applies even to healthy, easy-enough-for-a-weeknight cooking.

In Fabulously Simple, Food Matters Project, Healthy Eats butternut squash, chipotle, cilantro, lime, mark bittman, skewers, vegetarian, winter recipes

kale + white bean stew.

January 6, 2012 — 1 Comment

Greens ‘n beans…get ‘em while they’re hot.

That’s right – greens ‘n beans are totally hot. But you knew that, right? They’re super-healthy, and they taste really good if you know how to cook them. Though Dan might argue with you on the whole kale situation. What does he know!? He spent 95% of his life hating mushrooms and refusing tomatoes. He’s not exactly one to trust in the vegetable domain, if you ask me.

I have a slight obsession with kale, and an even bigger crush on white beans. Kale chips? Yes, please. Raw kale salad? You know it. White bean dip, white bean soup, puréed white beans in just about anything? Get. In. My. Belly.

So me and this soup – stew, soup – whatevs…we get along.

In Healthy Eats, Main Dishes kale, soups, vegetarian, white beans, winter recipes

chive pasta with cremini mushrooms.

August 6, 2011 — 10 Comments

Rare: A dish so simple, you could eat it for dinner once a week, but also elegant and memorable enough to serve at a dinner party.

Rare, but it exists. That cookbook I was telling you about the other day? That cookbook is full of cases like this.

I could eat this pasta every week. I could probably eat it more than every week. It’s just *so* easy to make. Roast mushrooms, make pasta, purée chives in olive oil. A perfect example of how food doesn’t have to be complicated to be impressively delicious.

It’s also incredibly versatile. Serve it as a main, serve it as a side. Serve it room temperature, serve it hot. Oh, and I didn’t mention that it’s vegetarian?

Cremini Mushrooms with Chive Pasta

From High Heat by Wendy Malouf and Melissa Clark

Coarse sea salt or kosher salt
1 pound cremini mushrooms, wiped clean
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup roughly snipped fresh chives (2-3 bunches)
1 pound spaghetti or angel hair pasta
Freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese for serving

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Toss the mushrooms in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and generous pinches of salt and pepper. Spread the mushrooms in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast, turning once, until tender and browned, about 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, cut the mushrooms into quarters. In a food processor or blender, combine the remaining 1/2 cup olive oil, the chives, and generous pinches of salt and pepper. Process until pureéd.

Cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of the cooking water if you plan to serve the pasta hot. In a larger serving bowl, toss the pasta with the mushrooms and chive oil. If serving immediately, toss with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the reserved cooking water. Otherwise, let the pasta cool to room temperature. Serve with the cheese on the side.

Serves 3 or 4 as a main, 6 as a side.

In Dinner Party Worthy, Fabulously Simple 150 best american recipes, chives, mushrooms, pasta, vegetarian

black bean burgers.

June 28, 2010 — 10 Comments

Here’s a burger you can feel good about.

And by good, I mean healthy. Because we all know the kind of burgers that I feel best about aren’t going to be the vegetarian variety.

Still, I really enjoyed making {and eating} these – it was a nice way to switch up the weeknight routine. I don’t typically cook things like burgers during the week, because in my house, we’re all aboard the healthy train until the weekend comes around. So this super-fast and easy recipe allowed me to sort of trick myself – or actually, trick Daniel. He was a little overly excited by the idea, and when he took a bite, I have to say – he was a little disappointed. He thought it was good, but it did look like a burger, and I guess he couldn’t get past the fact that there was no meat in it.

I absolutely loved them, and I think they’re a great as a healthy snack eaten without the bun – I doubled the recipe so I could have leftovers for that exact purpose. Beans are a great source of protein and fiber {not to mention high on the anti-inflammatory scale}, so you really can’t go wrong – and you could even play with the recipe a bit more, adding whatever spices or herbs you like.

Black Bean Burgers

Adapted from For the Love and Cooking Light

2 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup shredded light Monterey Jack cheese {I used a reduced-fat Mexican blend, though I usually prefer to shred my own}
1/4-1/2 cup whole wheat panko breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1-2 medium jalapeño peppers, finely chopped
2 large egg whites {I used a hit of the egg whites out of the carton}

For serving:

4-5 whole wheat hamburger buns, lightly toasted
Lettuce, onion, tomato, and avocado for topping
Cilantro aioli {optional: light mayo, finely chopped cilantro, minced garlic, and hit of lemon juice}

Preheat oven to 350°. Place black beans in a medium bowl; mash with a fork or a potato masher. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Shape the mixture into patties as thick as you’d like, and arrange them on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes, turning once. Place on toasted hamburger buns and top as you like.