Roasted Squash & Feta Sandwich

On October 23, 2017May 13, 2019 By lukephillaryhIn Veggie2 Comments

Roasted Squash and Feta Sandwich recipe — Orange you glad this squash sandwich is for dinner?

While Hillary and I love our summertime tomato salads and fruit cobbler, cold-weather cooking is really when we hit our stride. We’re in our groove when the oven has been on 400ºF all evening or a ragù has been simmering for the last two hours. Throughout November, December, January, and February, there’s one thing in particular that pushes our culinary prowess: leftover squash.

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Farro & Beet Salad

On October 8, 2017May 13, 2019 By lukephillaryhIn VeggieLeave a comment

beet farro salad healthy veggie recipe — Everybody loves a grain bowl

Have you ever made a grain bowl at home and fancied yourself a chef? Your fridge was filled with a mishmash of leftovers, including a grain. You roasted up some veggies, whipped together a vinaigrette, maybe added a protein (or a fried egg) and voilà! You just made dinner, a grain bowl of arguably Sweetgreen quality, without even using a recipe.

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Bonne Maman Jar Gazpacho

On July 27, 2017May 13, 2019 By lukephillaryhIn VeggieLeave a comment

gazpacho soup in Bonne Maman jam jar — Not tomato juice, but chilled, drinkable soup

I’ve always been wary of gazpacho. Bad batches can end up tasting like salsa or tomato juice. Often, you have an urge to over spice it. Tomatoes, some mild veggies, a little bit of salt and vinegar – how could these ingredients be enough for a flavorful, satisfying soup? But if you start adding a little bit of heat or some extra garlic you begin to veer dangerously close to Bloody Mary sans vodka territory. No one wants a virgin Blood Mary. Lots of Americanized recipes list bread chunks or croutons in their ingredients, in order to add a little bit of thickness and texture. Or worse, they leave the soup chunky. This is called salsa. And while it’s better than a virgin Blood Mary, you don’t want to sip on salsa.

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Charlie Bird’s Farro Salad

On April 10, 2017May 13, 2019 By lukephillaryhIn Veggie2 Comments

Charlie Bird Farro Salad recipe — A salad to celebrate spring

Charlie Bird is one of those New York restaurants. It’s been around for over ten years!! That’s a feat in New York. And it still manages to have a newfangled feel. Lots of fresh ingredients, incredibly inventive dishes. The food is delicious. But…Charlie Bird is one of those New York restaurants – small plates, not so small prices. Luke and I have been only once and it was when my parents were in town. Special dinner for a special occasion. Our lives and salaries don’t really warrant dinners at Charlie Bird. Prior to our dinner, having done my research, I knew the farro salad was a Charlie Bird favorite. But sitting down for dinner and perusing the menu, there were so many other amazing options. Farro, being a humble grain, just wasn’t all that appealing! I don’t regret this decision. Dinner was perfect. And thanks to Melissa Clark, we were able to replicate the farro salad at home. Though we could never claim that our version is as good as Charlie Bird’s, we both were able to enjoy very sizable portions!

Ingredients:

1 cup farro
1 cup apple cider
2 tsp kosher salt + more to taste
2 cups water
2 bay leaves
6 TBS olive oil
juice of 1 small lemon (about 3 TBS)
about 1/3 cup shaved parm (you can use a vegetable peeler to shave)
2 big handfuls of arugula
1 cup parsley, roughly chopped
1 cup mint, roughly chopped
3 radishes, thinly sliced
3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, bring farro, apple cider, water, salt and bay leaves to a simmer. Simmer until farro is tender (it will still have a little bit of chew) and the liquid has evaporated, about 30 minutes. If the liquid evaporates before the farro is done cooking, add a bit more water. Let farro cool and then discard the bay leaves.
In a salad bowl, make the dressing. Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Add cooled farro and cheese and mix well. This mixture can sit for a couple of hours at room temperature, or overnight in the fridge. When ready to eat, mix in the arugula, herbs, tomatoes, and radishes. Top with flaky sea salt, to taste.

Details: Serves 4-6. This is a hearty salad and can be eaten as a main course! Serves 4 as a main, 6 as a side.

Sunday Morning Blueberry Muffins

On March 20, 2017May 13, 2019 By lukephillaryhIn Ode to NYT2 Comments

Blueberry muffins simple recipe Julia Moskin recipe — Blueberries + Carrots + Walnuts = Perfection

Pancakes? Too sweet. Bacon and eggs? Too greasy. Yogurt parfait? Eh, been there, done that. Oatmeal? Don’t even ask. Sunday morning breakfast can be full of options, but with half of the weekend already over you deserve to be picky. You may want to lay in bed all day and treat yourself to an indulgent breakfast; or keep it lean before a 5 mile run. Hillary usually wants to be lay in bed a little bit longer while I’m gearing up to go…we compromise with a long walk. Whatever your appetite, day’s plan or mood, these whole grain blueberry muffins will surely satisfy.

This recipe comes from Julia Moskin via The New York Times. We omitted the orange streusel topping because we wanted these muffins to still have some simplicity. Filled with carrots, blueberries, oats, walnuts – there’s nothing more you really need. Indulgent, but still healty-ish, it’s the perfect way to start your morning. And if you take sometime to make these on Sunday morning, you’ll have muffin breakfasts for the rest of the week!

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal (preferably fine-ground)
2/3 cup rolled oats (not the instant version)
2/3 packed light brown sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp nutmeg (or additional cinnamon)
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
1 1/3 cups coconut oil or neutral oil like canola
2/3 cup maple syrup or honey
4 eggs
2 cups grated carrots or tart apple
1 1/2 cups blueberries
1 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Directions:

Assemble all the ingredients on your table / countertop for birds-eye Instagram photo. You are baking on Sunday morning, it deserves documentation.
Heat oven to 425°F. Heavily butter your muffin tin or use paper liners.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flours, cornmeal, oats, sugar, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt
In a smaller mixing bowl, mix together the wet ingredients: buttermilk, oil, maple syrup and eggs.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and carefully mix. Don’t over mix, the batter can be a bit lumpy. Stir in carrots, blueberries, and walnuts.
Let the batter rest for 15-20 minutes. You can use this time to post the earlier “prep” photo to your Instagram story. After resting, give the batter a light stir to make sure it’s thick and fluffy.
Plop enough of the batter to almost fill the muffin indentation. Mound the center so you’ll get nicely rounded tops.
Place tin in oven and reduce temperature to 400°F. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Cool muffins in the tin on a rack for 5-10 minutes and then remove.

Details: Makes about 24 small/medium sized muffins