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Kitchen Adventures

"Food may not be the answer to world peace, but it's a start" - Anthony Bourdain
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4/12/2013 0 Comments

Vegan Spinach Pesto

Vegan Spinach Pesto
Spinach is the first sign of spring here in Wisconsin.  I'm so happy to finally get it fresh and local!  So I dug out my arsenal of spinach recipes and this sounds like a winner.  It's from Penzey's and surprisingly from a spice company, turned out a bit bland so I added tons of celery salt which helped.  I ate mine on some veggie meatballs. 

Vegan Spinach Pesto

Makes 1 1/2 cups


 10 ounces baby spinach
 2 tablespoons pine nut
 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic

Place the spinach, pine nuts, yeast and olive oil in a food
processor or blender and pulse until well-blended, scraping the sides as needed.
Add the water or more olive oil and pulse to reach your desired
consistency.



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2/17/2013 0 Comments

Portabella Chips

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Seeing that beautiful portabella mushroom in my recent Brewer's Organics box reminded me of an interesting looking recipe I saw in that snack book I scored at Anthropologie on black Friday...  portabella chips.  So simple, so different.  I was amazed at how good these turned out with such little effort, only the mushrooms with some salt (I used celrey salt) and pepper!

From"Salty Snacks:  Make your own chips, crisps, crackers, pretzels, dips and other savory bites"
by Cynthia Nims


 2 portabella mushrooms stems discarded, cut into 1/8" slices
 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

 freshly ground pepper

 1
. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.  Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with
parchment paper or silicone baking mats.  Set 2 oven racks at the center-most
positions.

2
. Arrange the mushroom slices on the baking sheets; the slices can be snug
but avoid touching as much as possible.  Sprinkle the mushrooms lightly with the
salt and pepper.

3
. Bake until well dried and no longer pliable, about 1 1/4 hours, switching
the pans after 30 minutes and turning the slices over after 45 minutes.  Some
slices may be done before others, so use a metal spatula to transfer them to a
sire rack to cool while the rest continue drying.

4
. Let cool completely before serving.  The portabella chips will be best the
same day they were dried, but any extra will keep for up to 1 day in an airtight
container.





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12/26/2012 0 Comments

Parsnip & Carrot Chips

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I love the local root vegetables of fall in Wisconsin.  At the farmer's market I see carrots and parsnips and was excited to try this recipe from a new book I found at Anthropologie on sale for $7!  It reminds me of the strips on top of the house salad at Wasabi, a Milwaukee area Japanese restaurant. 
I didn't have carrots that were very big, as recommended but it still worked great.  They were more like shoestrings than chips.  And my husband is not a big fan of raw thyme so instead of adding at the end, I crushed the tyme over the raw chips before frying which resulted in a nice crispy seasoning.  I salted afterwards with my home made celery salt and these were a big hit in my house!

Parsnip & Carrot Chips
by Cynthia Nims, "Salty Snacks, Make Your Own Chips, Crisps, Crackers, Pretzels, Dips and Other Savory Bites"


1 pound large carrots
1 pound large parsnips
vegetable oil, for frying
1 teaspoon kosher salt
 
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced

Serves 4-6

Choose the largest and broadest carrots and parsnips among those available at the store; smaller, more slender ones won't form large enough strips to be fruitful for frying.  These have a light and delicate crunch and natural sweetness that make for an interesting change of pace from the traditional potato chip.

After peeling one of the carrots, use the vegetable peeler to peel away long strips from the whole length of the carrot, allowing the strips to drop into a large bowl.  Turn the carrot in your hand about one quarter turn after
every 4-5 strips, so you'll generally have strips of similar width and length overall.  Do the same with the remaining carrots and the parsnips, both of which have a tough core that should be discarded once you get there (the color tends to change slightly).

Pour about 2" of oil into a large heavy saucepan (the oil should not come more than halfway up the sides of the pan).  Bring to 375 F over medium heat.

While the oil is heating, combine the salt and thyme in a small dish and rub them together between your fingers for a bit to release the aromatics of the thyme.

Carefully add a handful of the vegetable strips to the oil and fry until lightly browned and crisp, about 1-2 minutes.  Use the back of a slotted spoon to gently press the strips down into the oil and spread them out a bit to help
the strips and scatter them on paper towels to drain.  Repeat with the remaining vegetable strips, allowing the oil to reheat between batches as needed.  
 
Transfer the chips to a serving bowl, sprinkle the thyme-salt mixture over them, and serve.  They will be best served shortly after frying.





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7/16/2012 1 Comment

Grilled Zucchini & Corn Salad

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One of my favorite things about Wisconsin summers is enjoying fresh zucchini. 

A good friend is keeping us supplied since I didn't get any planted this year. 

For a party I was hosting I just knew there had to be some of this amazing veggie so I turned to my grill and some other local veggies available at Growing Power!

FOR THE GRILL:
4 ears corn, shucked and soaked in sugar water overnight or longer 
    (I fill a container with water and sprinkle some sugar in and cover and set in the fridge for a couple days)
1 large zucchini, ends cut off and sliced the long way into 4-8 pieces depending on the thickness
1 large bell pepper, any color
1 serrano chili pepper

Grill the above veggies on medium heat until you see grill marks or blistered skin on the peppers.  I go for low fat so I grilled all naked.  For a richer salad, you can coat all the veggies in olive oil.
Allow all veggies to cool.  Cut corn off cobs, chop zucchini into 1/4" wide triangles and dice peppers.  Toss with drssing below.

FOR THE DRESSING:
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Cider Vinegar
1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
Whisk the above together.  Season with salt and pepper (I prefer celrey salt) here.

FINISH WITH:
1/2 Cup Chopped Onion (Red or whatever you have on hand, I used a nice local cippolini)
1/4 Cup Crumbled Feta Cheese
1/2 Cup Chopped Fresh Cilantro
Mix veggies with the dressing along with the feta, onions and cilantro.  Save a little cilantro to put on top for garnish.
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12/31/2011 0 Comments

Home Made Celery Salt

First kitchen post has to be about the most amazingly simple and flavorful thing I've made in a long time...  celery salt!  I made it this past fall after reading about it on one of my favorite blogs, Chocolate & Zucchini.  I'm already just about out and cannot imagine my kitchen without it!  I get organic celery from Whole Foods and a big bag of Fleur De Sel from the a local company, The Spice House.  I find myself seasoning almost anything that needs salt with this blend.  It's so good now I wonder what other seasonings I should make, any suggestions for me?  http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archives/2011/09/homemade_celery_salt.php
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    Jen's Kitchen...

    is the smallest kitchen ever.  We used to watch those decorating shows that said they were doing small kitchens and then could see that 4 of my kitchens would fit in their "small kitchens".
    Regardless of size, the kitchen is busy cranking out good things.  Most is natural/organic but that doesn't mean it's always healthy!

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