Food Fascination

Spinach and Feta are one of those combinations that are so good together, they work in so many different situations. In addition to making wonderful spanakopita, this combo also works great as one of those all-around dinner sauces - good on top of rice, pasta, ravioli, even baked or grilled chicken. For example, the other night dinner was baked garlic chicken and long grain and wild rice - all with a hit of this sauce. Then the leftover sauce (because making a double batch is always a good idea) got used on ravioli the next night.

This is another totally vegetarian-friendly recipe - and can be altered in several ways - see below the recipe for suggestions. It also uses roux, check the previous post for a primer on the stuff. Finally, do NOT add salt! Feta is very naturally salty (it’s a brined cheese - cured in salt water, basically) and adds plenty of the flavor-enhancer on it’s own.

1 tablespoon olive oil
2-3 cups fresh spinach, rinsed and roughly chopped (or hand-ripped into small pieces) OR 1/2-3/4 a bag frozen spinach
1/4 cup butter
2-4 cloves garlic, minced (chopped into tiny pieces - if you’re not comfortable giving this a shot, jarred pre-minced garlic is available.)
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
1 small package crumbled feta cheese
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons basil
2 teaspoons oregano

Drizzle olive oil in a wide frying pan. Add spinach and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally. Fresh spinach will wilt, turn dark green, and then begin cooking down into a slightly mushy consistency - cover the frying pan to speed up the process a bit. Frozen spinach will thaw - leave it uncovered to help the extra moisture evaporate off.

Place the butter and garlic in a saucepan and melt over medium-low heat. When the butter is bubbly and foamy, pull the saucepan off the heat. Using a fork or a whisk, combine the flour in small amounts with the butter/garlic mixture until it looks like a thick paste. Return this mixture (your roux) to the medium-low heat. Add 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 the package of feta cheese, whisking throughly. Add another 1/2 cup of milk and the remainder of the feta, whisking again. Add the final cup of milk. Add spices and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sauce has thickened. Finally, stir in the warmed spinach.

Variations:
For a spinach alfredo, try using 1 cup of Parmesan cheese instead of the feta - add 1 tsp salt to the recipe to make up for the lost salt. Or, add the Parmesean and some Romano for a three-cheese sauce.
Switch out the pepper, basil, and oregano with dill, lemongrass, and white pepper
Use lemon pepper instead of the pepper
If you don’t have basil or oregano, don’t fret! Make the sauce plain or add a different Italian-ish spice.

To freeze, separate into small containers and cool, uncovered, in the fridge. Then seal and freeze. To thaw, place in a saucepan over medium heat, add an extra tablespoon of butter (to prevent scorching) and stir as it thaws - or put in the microwave (nukrowave, microzapper, whatever you prefer to call it) on defrost mode.

I tried making granola for the first time the other night, thanks to Caro over at DIYnamite

The recipe she provided is a great place to start, and the comments over there had a few questions as to the “whys” of particular bits of that recipe. So here we go on the Fascination version:

2 cups old-fashioned oats (not the quick oats - this is because “quick oats” have been parcooked, and will absorb the oil in your recipe much more quickly - leading to squishy, slightly oily granola instead of crunchy goodness. If you only have quick oats, half the oil and replace with water.)
2 Tablespoons brown sugar (the choice between light or dark here is a taste preference - dark has a “deeper” more “molasseses-y” flavor, while the light is a cleaner flavor. Either one works.)
1/4 teaspoon salt (eliminate this if you’re trying to cut out salt. In this recipe, it simply works as a flavor enhancer.)
1-2 cups total of… well, whatever. Some of my favorites include chopped walnuts, chopped almonds, raisins, craisins… really any nut, wheat germ, or dried fruit. Some more structurally sound fresh fruits, such as apple chunks, also work very well; a good rule of thumb is that if it squishes easily, use the dried version. Not sure what you want to try? Look at a box in the grocery store and give it a shot.
3 Tablespoons oil (this will coat the ingredients and prevent burning in the oven)
1 Tablespoon water (this is to cut the oil and help separate the ingredients so you don’t end up with one clump)
1-3 Tablespoons additional flavor…try a small amount of vanilla, or honey, or even fruit juice.

Heat the oven to 275 and line a cookie sheet or pan with foil.

Combine the dry ingredients (minus any dried fruit) in a large bowl. Simmer the liquid ingredients together, whisking to combine. Pour the warm liquids over the dry ingredients and stir to combine. (You want the liquids to be hot so they will soak into the oats and start cooking - if they were cold, they would “sit” on top of the oats rather than soaking in and would be a half-burnt mess out of the oven.)

Spread over the foil-covered pan and roast in the oven for 30-45 minutes, stirring once. Add any dried fruit and continue cooking for another 15-20 minutes.

Remove from oven, cool, and store in a sealed container. Enjoy!

This is one of my standard weeknight dinner options, and for those of the “But I can’t cook!” variety, it can be simplified even further. The ravioli is the easy part - buy your favorite frozen or deli pasta and boil it (this is the tough part - boiling water!)

For the rose sauce:

Those who are comfortable in the kitchen will need:
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
4 cups milk
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 small can plain tomato sauce
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons basil

(you’ll be making a roux - for more information, check Make It : Roux )
In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the flour. Add the milk and Parmesan slowly, alternating and stirring well over medium heat. Add the garlic, tomato sauce, and spices. Whisk occasionally over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens. Top boiled ravioli with the sauce, and a bit extra Parmesan. Enjoy!

For those of the “I can’t cook” variety
Get a bottle of your favorite jarred alfredo sauce and dump it into a glass bowl. Stir in one small can of plain tomato sauce. Heat in the microwave and serve over ravioli.

Enjoy!

For part 1 and the backstory, check But I can’t cook! Part 1

CousCous with Fresh Herb mixture
Couscous is deceptively simple and easy to make. Trust me.

What you’ll need:
Water (or a can of veggie or chicken broth)
A box of couscous (near the rice, usually. Or check the Ethnic food section)
Fresh herbs. Check in the produce section - they’re usually sold in small boxes. Good options are basil, thyme, lemongrass, oregano, and mint. Feel free to experiment!
Olive oil
Lemon juice

Check the box of couscous. Usually the direct you to boil 2 cups water or broth to prepare the whole box. One can of broth is two cups. Put it on the stove and let it boil. Pull the pan off the stove, dump in the couscous, and cover the pot (with a plate, if you don’t have a lid.) Let it sit. Really!

Using washed hands (or a knife, if you’re comfortable with that) rip up the fresh herbs into small pieces. Toss them into a small bowl, then cover them with a drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice. Stir and let that sit for a few minutes while you wash your hands. The lemon juice helps the flavor of the herbs seep out into the olive oil. (Lemon is an acid, which breaks down the cell walls, releasing flavor).

Stir together the couscous (yes, it’s done) and herb mixture. Spoon into bowls and enjoy!

I have been issued a challenge from a friend at work. She claims a complete inability to cook (although she can, when paying proper attention, boil water). I argue that anyone, even if they can burn water, can make a good meal that is worthy of impressing a date or treating yourself to a great dinner. This can be done with minimal chopping, cooking, or danger to life and limb.

Don’t believe me? Try this:

Option #1:
Roasted chicken, balsamic French bread, and wilted spinach salad
This one involves less than ten minutes of prep, and you won’t even have to use the microwave!

What you’ll need to feed 2-4 ish people:
A pre-roasted chicken (in the deli of most grocery stores)
One bag of baby spinach or spinach salad
Fresh French bread
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar (by the olive oil in the grocery store)
(optional)
Salt and Pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese
Red pepper flakes
Craisins (by the raisins - they’re dried cranberries)
Salad dressing (try a raspberry vinagarette)

On your way home for the evening, stop by the grocery store and pick up one of the pre-roasted chickens they sell for five or six bucks in the deli - not fried (as tempting as it smells) - if they have pre-sliced or chicken breasts, even better. Get those. Or, if you’re trying to cut fat even further one of the roasted turkey breasts. Also purchase whatever else on the list you need.

As soon as you get home, spread the spinach salad over a large plate. Open the chicken. Set the lid of the chicken container over the spinach (the leftover heat and humidity will wilt the spinach) If you are comfortable with a knife, then slice off some chicken breasts. If you’re not, then wash your hands and rip into it, getting as large of chunks as you can. Spread the salad over as many medium-sized plates as you have people for dinner, then lay the chicken over the salad. If you’re using it, drizzle some vinagarette over the whole thing - or sprinkle craisins over the plate - or both.

On a separate plate, dump a bunch of olive oil onto the plate. Drizzle some vinegar over it. If you’d like, add salt, pepper, Parmesan cheese, or red pepper flakes. Take the bread out of it’s paper bag. Set it on the table to let people rip their own chunks. The idea is that you rip a chunk of bread, dip it in the flavored oil, and chow.

There you go - fancy dinner in under ten minutes.

Originally posted here by my friend Marie.

I was having a movie night this weekend, and among the guests I was going to have several vegetarians, a lactose (milk) -intolerant individual, a gluten (wheat)-intolerant individual, and a picky eater who hates peas.

So what to make?

To the rescue - Arroz Non Pollo. This has quickly become a favorite among my (omnivore) family, and pairs very well with rice or couscous. It’s basically a vegetable medley, but throws together quickly and is surprisingly good. The leftovers freeze well, and can be thrown in with a few extra cups of broth and leftover vegetables for soup.

1 white or yellow onion, chopped (more on How To Chop an Onion soon)
1 carrot, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
(these three ingredients form a mirepoix, which is pretty much the basis for most soup stocks and veggie mixes. You’ll see the term - pronounced mirror-o-poo or mirror-o-pwah - a lot in French cooking. Don’t let that scare you. It’s just a fancy way of saying “flavorful vegetables that are useful in lots of dishes.”)
3-5 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 seeded and diced red or green pepper
1 14 1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes (don’t drain!)
1 - 2 cans vegetable broth (if you’re not vegetarian and only have chicken broth, this works too)
1 can garbanzo beans (also known as Chickpeas), drained
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
(optional) 1/2 teaspoon red pepper
1 10 to 16 oz package French cut or small cut green beans

Prepared rice or couscous (if you haven’t tried couscous, give it a shot. It’s ready to hit the table in about 8 minutes - boil water or broth, mix in the couscous, and cover. Five minutes later, it’s ready to eat)

Salsa and / or shredded cheese and / or sour cream

In a large skillet over medium-high, saute the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and pepper in the olive oil until the onions are translucent and the carrots are softening.

Place the vegetable mixture in a crockpot or large, deep saucepan. Add the tomatoes (juice and all), broth, garbanzo beans, and green beans. Let cook in the crockpot on high for 2-4 hours or low for 4-8 hours. Serve over rice or couscous with whatever combination of salsa, cheese, and sour cream you’d like.

Amazingly easy, amazingly tasty, and special-diet friendly!

If you would like to add chicken, dice 1 or 2 chicken breasts into small cubes and cook in a tablespoon of olive oil in a small skillet. Add to the mixture along with the vegetables.

To turn this into a mexican-ish soup, add in a few extra cans of broth and throw in your favorite veggies - just about any vegetable without much starch goes really well (stay away from potatoes and other root veggies - other than that, go for it!)

I am sorry for not posting lately, issues with upgrading WordPress caused a few problems. I’ll be posting what I’ve written over the last month over the next week or so, as to not overload your RSS feeds

Remember, if you have any questions, feel free to email me at jadetater {at} yahoo