Another Bon Appetit cover recipe!  This is a portion of Husk Restaurant’s Skillet-Roasted Chicken with Farro and Herb Pistou.  But quite honestly, the farro risotto was so incredibly delicious and well-balanced, it completely stands up on its own as a dinner for two.   And after a decadent night of spaghetti and meatballs in my house, my fiance and I were craving something wholesome and healthful.  Boy did this hit the spot!  At first bite I totally understood why BA was so enamored with this dish.

Farro Risotto with Butternut Squash and Kale
Adapted from Bon Appetit’s Farro with Acorn Squash and Kale
Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a side

4 tbsp butter, divided
1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut in 1/2″ cubes
Small bunch red Russian or other kale, stems removed, leaves torn into 2-inch pieces
1 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup farro
1/2 small sweet onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 dry white wine
2 cups vegetable stock mixed with 2 cups water, warmed (I kept mine in a small saucepan on the back burner)
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 375°.  Melt 1 tbsp of butter in microwave and pour over butternut squash on a roasting pan.  Toss with your fingers, season with salt and pepper.  Roast, turning squash about 3 times through the baking, until tender and slightly browned at the edges, about 35 minutes.

Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet (preferable stainless steel) over medium-high heat.  Add farro and toss to coat.  Wait until you hear the farro start to sizzle in the pan, about 1-2 minutes, then transfer skillet to the hot oven until toasted.  You won’t necessarily see too much of a color change, but you’ll smell the toastiness.  This will take about 6 minutes, and you’ll want to give it a stir after 3 to make sure both sides get evenly toasted.  Transfer to a bowl and wipe out skillet.

Melt 2 tbsp butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and stir until cooked, about 2 minutes more.  Add wine, increasing heat to high and deglaze the pan.  Stir until the wine is almost evaporated, about 2-3 minutes.

Add farro and 1/2 cup warm stock mixture.  Stir until almost all liquid is absorbed, about 4 minutes.  Continue cooking farro, adding broth by the 1/2 cupfuls and allowing broth to be absorbed between additions, until farro is tender, about 45 min – 1 hour.

Meanwhile,  cook kale in a  large pot of boiling water until wilted and bright green, about 2 minutes.  Run under cold water in the sink to cool, then drain and set aside.

Add kale, squash, remaining 1 tbsp butter and parm cheese, stirring gently until butter and cheese are melted and vegetables are heated through, about 2 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve!

As I’m sure you’ve seen, we’ve been eating a lot of decadent food over the holiday break.  Yeah, common, I know you were too.  In fact, we were actually starting to, dare I say it, long for our lighter, healthier pre-holiday diet.  On the whole we’ve been cutting out a lot of processed foods and starchy carbs and looking for more ways to get the most nutrition into our diet, which can be a tricky thing on a busy schedule.  A few months ago I spotted a bag of broccoli slaw at Trader Joes, which consists of raw julienned broccoli stems and carrots, and I thought it would pair nicely with an asian-flavored vinaigrette.  Yet despite all the good ingredients I was putting into the dressing, I always felt like something was lacking.  The breakthrough for this recipe came when I realized what bugged me most about the dressing was that it wasn’t thick enough to cling to the broccoli, leaving a flavorful, neglected puddle on your plate.  So looking for a healthful solution I tossed in a handful of cashews and voila, problem solved!  This makes a super speedy weeknight side, which goes great with some grilled teriyaki chicken, salmon, or shrimp.  It’s light, crunchy and full of yum.

Raw Broccoli Slaw with Cashew Lime Vinaigrette
Serves 4 as a Side

1/8 cup lime juice (1/2 a big lime)
1/8 cup brown rice wine vinegar (i find this has a deeper, richer flavor than the regular kind)
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sugar or honey
1 clove garlic, minced (or grated on a microplane)
2 tbsp mirin
1/2 tsp sriracha sauce (or a pinch of red chili flakes)
1/4 cup canola oil (substitute any mellow flavored oil)
1/4 cup toasted cashew pieces plus 3 tbsps for the dressing
Handful of cilantro, torn into pieces
2 scallions, thinly sliced on the bias
1 12-oz bag of broccoli slaw (or 1 1/2 cups grated broccoli stem and 1/2 cup grated carrot)
Handful of sesame sticks (optional)

In a food processor, or in a tall-sided bowl with an immersion blender, combine the lime juice, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, mirin, and sriracha.  Blend briefly to combine.  With the blender running, slowly stream in the oil so the dressing emulsifies.  Then toss in the 3 tbsps of toasted cashew pieces and blend until smooth.  The dressing should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.  It’ll still be a liiittle gritty from the nuts, which I didn’t mind at all, but feel free to strain it through a fine mesh sieve if you’re looking for a silkier texture.

In a large bowl, combine the raw broccoli slaw, cilantro, scallions, and cashew pieces.  Gently toss with the dressing and top with crunchy sesame sticks and additional scallions and cilantro leaves for color.

I love veggies.  My life/meal/body/face/soul feels incomplete unless I have them several times a day.  Here is a quick and healthy way to get your veg on.

2 medium red potatoes, cut to inch squares
2 medium purple potatoes, cut to inch squares
half a head of cauliflower, divided to bite size
1 zucchini, sliced 1/3rd inch thick
1 teaspoon of olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Put it all in a bowl, mix, put into a baking pan. I like the heavier glass/pyrex ones. Place into the oven for 45 minutes. Toss them half way inbetween. SO EASY!

I’m a big summer roll fan.  No lie, I’ll take it over a deep fried spring or egg roll any day of the week.  They’re light and super refreshing, and I enjoyed how, once you get over the intimidation factor, how incredibly simple they are to make and customize to your liking.

This is a recipe I was addicted to the summer after graduation, but I hadn’t really made since.  That’s probably because I, along with my team of parental sous chefs, prepped over 100 of these alone for mine and V’s college grad party, and there definitely can be too much of a good thing.  It’s based off of Tyler Florence’s recipe, but I’ve changed it up over the years.  What I like most about Tyler’s spin on the summer roll is that it’s got the classic Thai elements, like cilantro and cellophane noodles and peanuts, and then some fresh Vietnamese ingredients, such as mint and mung bean sprouts, and also few delicious surprises, like the beets.  So anywho, Jared and Robin’s oscar party seemed like the perfect opportunity to dust off that old recipe and give it an update.  It’s a bit time consuming, prepping the veggies and rolling each individual roll, but man, it’s so worth the effort.

Thai Summer Rolls with Sweet Chili Peanut Dipping Sauce
Makes about a dozen rolls

2 carrots, julienned
1 large beet, julienned
2 handfuls fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 bunch mint leaves, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups pea sprouts, cut in half (or bean sprouts if you can’t find the pea ones)
1 cup shredded napa cabbage
1 package baked tofu, cut into 24 long, skinny portions
1 package enoki mushrooms, roots trimmed and  mushrooms seperated
3 oz Vietnamese cellophane noodles, cooked according to package instructions
4 scallions, thinly sliced on the bias
1/2 cup roasted and unsalted peanuts, chopped
The juice of 2 limes
2 tsp sesame oil
1- 12oz package 8-inch round rice paper wrappers

Start by prepping your veggies and noodles and putting a kettle of water on to boil for the rice paper wrappers.  Here’s some glamour shots of the chopped veggies:  (ps arn’t these lightbox pictures pretty rad?)

Combine the carrots, beets, cilantro, mint, sprouts, enoki, cabbage, scallions and peanuts in a large bowl.  Add the sesame oil, lime juice, salt and pepper and toss to coat.  Keep the tofu and noodles to the side, so they keep their bright white color.

Pour 3 cups of hot water into a wide, shallow bowl (keep extra hot water around because this will inevitably cool off as you’re working).  Immerse the wrappers one at a time for about 15 seconds to soften.  To form the rolls, lay the rice paper on a flat surface.  Put a small amount of the filling (about 1/4 cup) on the top 1/3 of the wrapper.  Top with 2 sticks of tofu and a small portion of the noodles.  Be careful not to overstuff the wrapper or it will tear.  Fold down the top of the wrapper to cover the filling.  Fold in the right and left sides, then roll from the top down, being careful to keep the sides tucked in.  Cover the finished rolls with a damp towel to keep from drying out while you finish the other rolls.  Serve as soon as possible with the dipping sauce.

For a speedier alternative, serve the filling as a salad along with butter lettuce leaves and allow people to build their own lettuce wraps.

For the Dipping Sauce:

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/3 cup hot water
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp white sugar
The juice of 2 limes
1/4 cup thai sweet chili sauce, such as Mae Ploy
2 tsp red chili paste, such as sambal

Combine peanut butter, soy sauce, sugar, and lime juice into a bowl.  Slowly whisk in the hot water until the sauce reaches a smooth consistency.  You may not need all of it.  Add in the sweet chili sauce and sambal and whisk to combine.  Serve with Thai Summer Rolls.

Just a quick post tonight. I thought I’d share my recipe from dinner even though I didn’t take many pics.

You see, I’ve had a batch of homemade chicken stock sitting in the freezer, just waiting to be used.  And since I spent so much time on it, I wanted to showcase it in a recipe that would be all about the broth.  Hence the obvious choice, soup.  All it took was Kim talking about soup today and I knew it was time.

This is my take on Italian wedding soup, partly inspired by a Tuscan soup called ribollita, sortof a minestrone thickened with bread with tons of local, cheap vegetables.  And since we’re still getting our CSA veggie delivery we had a plethora of local, cheap veggies on hand.  It basically came down to luscious chicken stock base with delicious, basily chicken meatballs, cannellini beans and lots of healthy, vibrant kale.

Tuscan Wedding Soup
Makes 4 generous portions

For the Meatballs:
1 lb ground chicken
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
1 egg, lightly whisked
3/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs

For the Soup:
1/2 sweet onion, small dice
1 rib of celery, small dice
1 carrot, small dice
1/2 cup dry white wine
8 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
2 – 12oz cans cannellini beans, drained
3/4 lb kale, washed and roughly chopped (i like a mix of dinosaur kale and curly kale for this)
Parmesan for serving

For the meatballs, preheat the oven to 400°F.  Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well to combine.  Season with salt and pepper.   The mixture will be looser than ground beef/pork, but it should still hold together when formed into a ball.  Place meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes until they begin to brown.  Alternatively, you can cook the meatballs in the soup, if you like them softer and don’t mind their lack of color.  I’ll point out where in the next step.

For the soup, put a large stock pot over medium-high heat.  Saute the onion, celery, and carrot in a few turns of olive oil until softened, about 7 minutes.  Add the wine and cook until its reduced by half or almost fully evaporated.  Add the stock (its a good idea to have this heating up in another saucepan on your stove, so you don’t have to wait to bring this to a boil) as well as the cannellini beans and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Go ahead and check the seasonings on the soup at this point and add some salt and pepper.  Now’s a good time to prep your kale and allow your meatballs to finish browning.  If you’re cooking the meatballs in the soup, go ahead and add them now and bring the heat up closer to a low boil.  They should take about 10 minutes to cook through, then proceed with the next step.

Add the meatballs and kale to the pot.  You might have to add the kale in two batches if your pot is not large enough, but don’t worry, it wilts down quickly.  Bring the soup back to a simmer and allow to cook for at least 10 minutes for the kale to soften.  If you prefer your kale softer, go ahead and simmer an additional 10-15 minutes until its cooked to your liking. Ladle the soup into large bowls.  Top with freshly grated parm cheese and a tiny drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil.  Serve with toasty garlic bread on the side.

Wooooooow! Such a better box this week! All my complaints about wilty vegetables are gone!

Here’s the list: spaghetti squash, beets, china rose radish, daikon radish, broccoli, eggplant, green tomatoes, cilantro, red russian kale, dinosaur kale, curly kale, spinach, a two magical heads of greens that we’re still in the process of identifying! All of them look incredibly fresh and beautiful.

I’d say this will keep us busy for 2 weeks. Look for our recipes in the coming days!

And here’s the mysterious two: the first one looks like an open head of romaine, but its bitter, and possibly green curly lettuce or escarole for the second? Share your thoughts!

One of the best looking pieces of produce in our first CSA box was a gorgeous head of bok choy. Usually bok choy ends up playing second fiddle in my cooking, but I knew I really wanted to showcase this great ingredient. I came up with an easy stir fry using items I had on hand, including frozen shrimp and some tasty mushrooms. I was really impressed with the simplicity of the dish. In fact, I would barely change a thing next time around, and I can’t wait to make it again.

Shrimp and Bok Choy Stir Fry
Makes 2-3 entree portions

3/4 lb shrimp (25 count), deveined and shells removed
2 tbsp dry sherry or sake
1 tbsp plus 2 tsp corn starch
1 tsp plus 1 tbsp soy sauce
1 large head of bok choy
6 oz sliced white or shitake mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 tbsp mirin
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sherry, 1 tbsp cornstarch and 1 tsp soy sauce. Add the shrimp and toss to coat evenly. Set aside. In another small bowl, combine the chicken broth, mirin, sugar, the additional 1 tbsp of soy sauce and 2 tsp cornstarch and set aside.

The most important step of stir-frying is the prep work. Since the cooking happens so quickly, everything must be ready to hit the pan before you begin. Wash and prep your bok choy. I like to slice the thick white stems on the bias, and then roll up and do a large, rough chiffonade of the green leaves. Be sure to keep these separate, as they’ll hit the pan at a different time.

When everything is ready, heat your wok over the highest heat your stove top can get. When the pan is screaming hot, add 1 tbsp of the vegetable oil. Start by adding the aromatics, in this case the ginger and the garlic. Stir for only 15 seconds, as the garlic can burn quickly, then add the shrimp. Keep the shrimp moving around the pan, and when they’re still slightly translucent, about 1-2 minutes, pull them out of the pan and set aside. They’re not fully cooked through, but that’s what you’re looking for, just like in the pic below.

Allow your pan to come back to heat, then add the remaining tbsp of vegetable oil. Toss in the white bok choy stems and the mushrooms. Stir fry for about 3 minutes until the edges of the bok choy become translucent and the mushrooms soften, then add the green leaves of the bok choy and cook an additional 2 minutes.

When the greens have slightly wilted, return the shrimp to the pan. Add the broth mixture. Continue to move the ingredients around the pan until the shrimp is fully cooked and the sauce begins to thicken slightly, about 2 minutes.

Serve alongside steamed white rice and dig in!! Enjoy, my fellow foodies!

At last! The three of us iheartyum ladies have been waiting with great anticipation for the first delivery of our biweekly CSA veggie bundle. We all agreed its an excellent way to not only get our hands on some delicious produce and to support local farmers directly, but to help us expand and challenge our culinary horizons. And fortunately for us, our company provided a Wednesday drop off schedule, not to mention a greatly appreciated discounted price.

You gotta admit, it’s a beautiful spread. Inside we found: zucchini, summer squash, patty pan squash, a giant bunch of cilantro, green tomatoes, eggplant, spaghetti squash, a good bit of okra, swiss chard, red Russian kale, dinosaur kale, one china rose radish, one beet, and a giant head of bok choy. Everything looked a tiiiny bit wilty (that’s a word), and I was happy to get it tucked away into the fridge when I got home.

I challenged the ladies to try to post once per box with a dish they prepared using the current week’s booty, so keep on the lookout for lots of delicious winter veggie delights in the very near future.

Delicious, speedy appetizer for entertaining? Count me in.Firat’s artsy photo composition and framing?  Even better.

This is a simple dip or spread to serve with crackers, crostini, or crudité. I used it as a vegan alternative to cheese and crackers. It’s very easy to multiply for larger crowds and works as a nice alternative to your everyday go-to vegetarian-friendly hummus.

1 whole bulb of garlic
1 can canellini beans, drained and rinsed

3 TBSP of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, preferably the oil used for roasting the garlic.

Juice of half a lemon

2 tsp white balsamic vinegar (cider vin. or more lemon juice would work too)

1/4 cup parsley, roughly chopped

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cut the top 1/2 inch of the garlic bulb off, revealing as many cloves as possible. Place in an oven-safe dish and drizzle with the 3 TBSP of oil.  Roast in a 350 degree oven for about 35 minutes, or until cloves area soft, lightly browned, and easy to cut with a sharp knife.  (I always make extra bulbs at the same time, they’re good to use for a week if kept in the fridge in oil.)  If you’re short on time, I would mince up about 5 large cloves and saute gently in the olive oil over medium heat, just to take the raw taste out of it.  Be careful not to overbrown it with this method.

Now that your garlic is done, you’re ready to make the dip.  TRUE STORY.

Add all the ingrediants to a food processor or blender.  That’s right, everybody in the pool except the salt and pepper.  Pulse first, then blend until smooth.  The parsley turns the dip a lovely pale green color.  If you prefer the white color, then simply fold in  minced parlsey after blending, or be a punk and leave it out entirely.  As for salt, I recommend using a good quality finishing salt, such as maldon or gray salt.  Be sure to taste pre-salting.  Those bean canners can sometimes go overboard on the sodium.

So that’s it.  Garnish, serve, and lavish in the praise of your guests, you domestic yum goddess, you.