We have a huge surprise for everyone in our new kitchen. It is being installed today, and most of the cupboards were in yesterday - enough to make my heart just pound with affection... It is a highly functional kitchen, and I have spent many hours just daydreaming about what it would be like to cook there.
I've thought about the way a pot would drip when pasta was done...
I've thought about where I want to grab plates when I'm ready to plate something from the stove...
Mused about what deliciousness would be served on what I hope will be a highly functional island (no sink, no cooktop, no raised areas - just smooth open prep space).
What everyone doesn't know is that, while the rest of the house has been kept supremely neutral, we have ordered a huge quartz countertop in tangerine!
The orange will give a gorgeous jumping off point for fabrics in the dining room, for accents in the kitchen space, and is the most obvious way Bill and I could think of to emphasize what everyone knows to be true.... The kitchen is where everyone gathers no matter how many rooms are in a house! Our kitchen even has seating for five within the space itself, three at the island and two in a window bench looking onto our gorgeous backyard.
It will be that beautiful citrus accent I am so fond of!!
We've been painting, and wiping, and sweeping to our heart's content this week, getting ready to move in. Harrison asked me on Wednesday, after helping with the second coat in the kitchen... "Mom, if our new house was a body, what would be its stomach?". I thought about it - stomach, digestion, processing.... and thought about the dishwashers? The laundry room, maybe?
He said "Mom, it's the kitchen!"
I said - "no, buddy, that's the heart!"
"You're soft!" was his immediate reply...
So this big, bold section of "tequila sunrise" quartz is going to be a true bullseye. It will be a beautiful conversation piece, and a nice spash of whimsical, fun, slightly-out-there wacky-ness.
Our first party there is going to celebrate our 100th birthday and our new home. The menu is going to be delicious, but did take a bit of extra time with the caterer to veganize most of it, while still keeping it highly edible for our non-vegan guests. It is funny to see foodies struggle with vegan - because we are so trained to do animal based food. It is so natural to just sprinkle cheese onto or into things. To grind up or shred or slice meat into the next thing... to crack eggs into other things... When you remove that as an option, it can flummox even the most ardent professor of food-loving.
I've relaxed a little and have some fish dishes on the menu, but am trying to stick with a delicious showcase of plant-based food. This time it's really not a big political statement of veganism... it's just how I really want to eat on our birthday! Next door, our neighbour is grilling burgers, etc...so that should take care of the carnivors - I hope. Actually, what I really hope is that no one even notices... they just taste the food and think it's great.
Now, on to FOOD.
Last week, I made an exceptional jalapeno cornbread. It went beautifully with a black bean chili, and I promised to put the recipe on here - so here it is...
6 - 8 ears of corn niblets (about 4 cups)
1 red pepper, cut up into 1/8 inch pieces
1 jalapeno, cut up even smaller than the red pepper!
Saute in some coconut oil or corn oil until the corn is lightly browned - this will bring out its natural sweetness to contrast with the spicy jalapeno.
1 can of coconut milk and 1/4 cup of cornstarch, whisked together until there are no lumps.
Add half of the corn mixture to a blender and pour the coconut/cornstarch on top. Pulse until blended. Pour into a bowl with the remaining corn/pepper mixture, and add half a cup of cornmeal (any colour) and a cup of chopped green onions, 2 tbsp of maple syrup and 2 tsp hot sauce or cayenne pepper. Salt to taste - probably about 1 tsp.
Pour it into a baking dish or pie plate, and bake for 40 minutes at 350. Let it cool and set up for about 10 minutes before serving, if you can wait that long!
Friday, August 13, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
Good Eating begins with Good Shopping
I say this all the time to anyone who will listen. You can not eat well when life throws you curve balls if you have not properly shopped for the week. The food just won't be in your house, and will leave you with fewer options.
We are getting quite busy on the home front, trying to juggle extremely busy work lives, with lots of family events, trying to spend time with our kids and friends, and trying to see a renovation project through the final stages of completion before a really big birthday party / summer fest / housewarming party at the end of the summer. So our evenings have been really busy lately with painting, cleaning and picking things up.
Yesterday I wanted to make sure we ate before our evening chores began, so I grabbed four soft whole wheat tortillas, added a handful of spinach leaves to each one, heated up some of the black bean chili mixture (which I intend to turn into burgers this weekend) and spooned it on top of the spinach leaves. A grate or two of lime zest and some hot sauce and sea salt made for some delicious, substantial soft tacos.
If you haven't checked out my recipe for pizza dough yet, you should. Talk about a money saver - I doubled the recipe and had pizza on the weekend, once during the week and gave one to my mom and dad.
Pizza sauce is an easy one, too. On the weekend, Harrison and I made some roasted tomatoes. Cubed tomatoes, an onion cut into eights, some olive oil, salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar was all it needed. Well, that and a roasting pan at 375 for an hour or so. When it was done, I pureed it down to a thick sauce, adding some fresh oregano which I got as a bridal shower favor, some fresh garlic, some chives and some fresh basil.
I had mentioned to Harrison the day before (I think when I was assembling the corn chowder) that in a professional kitchen, the number of things you have to "do" to a dish to send it out is called a "move". So, for example, my black bean taco thing would have had 6 moves. Taco, spinach, black bean, lime, hot sauce, sea salt.
Harrison was enjoying last weekend, and will help me in the kitchen if I ask him to. So when he kept raving about the corn chowder, I wanted to show him how easy it was to make a tomato soup with the same principle.
So I call out "hey Buddy, want to see how to make an easy tomato soup?"
When he shouted back "How many moves?" I just grinned.
The truth is, whether you're a hungry but curious 10 year old trying to get back to watching Spongebob Squarepants, a busy woman trying to get to everything you need to cover off in life until you fall into bed, exhausted, or every option in between, if you can keep a handful of recipies or principles in your back pocket with only a few moves, you CAN find time to get through your day with some good food.
Here are a few quick "moves" that I think elevate a dish with minimal effort:
*Use lemon, lime or orange zest to top off your dish, with a finish of sea salt.
*Use a George Foreman grill to add some softness and crispiness to a taco or wrap. They heat up almost instantly, and leave cute but delicious grill marks. The other night, I even did this with a veggie hot dog when I needed a snack!
*A plate is like a blank canvas. Look at the colour of your plates as you're putting them together:
*If your plate is mostly red (a chili, a tomato sauced dish, a casserole), sprinkle some chopped green onion or fresh herbs if you have them.
*If your plate is mostly yellow (pasta, curry) add some chopped red pepper or even a fresh chili to the top with some lime zest.
*If your plate is mostly green (salads, stir frys) shred some carrots or beets(or even use a vegetable peeler for long strands!) to wake up the colour and add some additional flavour. Nuts or dried cranberries also provide a nice contrast in taste and texture.
*Desserts can be elevated with a sprinkle of coconut, or some dark chocolate shavings, or some fresh berries. Lemon zest also works wonders here.
So, YES, you might have to add the following to your regular grocery list, but it will be worth it...
Lemon, Lime, Orange
Coconut Flakes
Green Onions
Fresh Basil
Slivered Almonds
Dried cranberries, cherries, blueberries
These few additions to your shopping list can make all the difference in a gorgeous plate of food that you really want to dive into.
We are getting quite busy on the home front, trying to juggle extremely busy work lives, with lots of family events, trying to spend time with our kids and friends, and trying to see a renovation project through the final stages of completion before a really big birthday party / summer fest / housewarming party at the end of the summer. So our evenings have been really busy lately with painting, cleaning and picking things up.
Yesterday I wanted to make sure we ate before our evening chores began, so I grabbed four soft whole wheat tortillas, added a handful of spinach leaves to each one, heated up some of the black bean chili mixture (which I intend to turn into burgers this weekend) and spooned it on top of the spinach leaves. A grate or two of lime zest and some hot sauce and sea salt made for some delicious, substantial soft tacos.
If you haven't checked out my recipe for pizza dough yet, you should. Talk about a money saver - I doubled the recipe and had pizza on the weekend, once during the week and gave one to my mom and dad.
Pizza sauce is an easy one, too. On the weekend, Harrison and I made some roasted tomatoes. Cubed tomatoes, an onion cut into eights, some olive oil, salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar was all it needed. Well, that and a roasting pan at 375 for an hour or so. When it was done, I pureed it down to a thick sauce, adding some fresh oregano which I got as a bridal shower favor, some fresh garlic, some chives and some fresh basil.
I had mentioned to Harrison the day before (I think when I was assembling the corn chowder) that in a professional kitchen, the number of things you have to "do" to a dish to send it out is called a "move". So, for example, my black bean taco thing would have had 6 moves. Taco, spinach, black bean, lime, hot sauce, sea salt.
Harrison was enjoying last weekend, and will help me in the kitchen if I ask him to. So when he kept raving about the corn chowder, I wanted to show him how easy it was to make a tomato soup with the same principle.
So I call out "hey Buddy, want to see how to make an easy tomato soup?"
When he shouted back "How many moves?" I just grinned.
The truth is, whether you're a hungry but curious 10 year old trying to get back to watching Spongebob Squarepants, a busy woman trying to get to everything you need to cover off in life until you fall into bed, exhausted, or every option in between, if you can keep a handful of recipies or principles in your back pocket with only a few moves, you CAN find time to get through your day with some good food.
Here are a few quick "moves" that I think elevate a dish with minimal effort:
*Use lemon, lime or orange zest to top off your dish, with a finish of sea salt.
*Use a George Foreman grill to add some softness and crispiness to a taco or wrap. They heat up almost instantly, and leave cute but delicious grill marks. The other night, I even did this with a veggie hot dog when I needed a snack!
*A plate is like a blank canvas. Look at the colour of your plates as you're putting them together:
*If your plate is mostly red (a chili, a tomato sauced dish, a casserole), sprinkle some chopped green onion or fresh herbs if you have them.
*If your plate is mostly yellow (pasta, curry) add some chopped red pepper or even a fresh chili to the top with some lime zest.
*If your plate is mostly green (salads, stir frys) shred some carrots or beets(or even use a vegetable peeler for long strands!) to wake up the colour and add some additional flavour. Nuts or dried cranberries also provide a nice contrast in taste and texture.
*Desserts can be elevated with a sprinkle of coconut, or some dark chocolate shavings, or some fresh berries. Lemon zest also works wonders here.
So, YES, you might have to add the following to your regular grocery list, but it will be worth it...
Lemon, Lime, Orange
Coconut Flakes
Green Onions
Fresh Basil
Slivered Almonds
Dried cranberries, cherries, blueberries
These few additions to your shopping list can make all the difference in a gorgeous plate of food that you really want to dive into.
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