Moroccan Carrot Dip

My neighbor recently included me in an recipe chain-type email, where you email twenty people and in turn get thirty six recipes back.  So naturally, I was in heaven.  One criteria was to include a single recipe, one that we keep on the top of our head to quickly whip up for a party.

I contributed my tried and true recipe the Moroccan Carrot Dip, which I have evolved and adapted from a cookbook called Vegetarian Appetizers: simply delicious recipes for easy entertaining by Paulette Mitchell.  I have made this at least two dozen times for multiple occasions.  First of all, I usually have all of these ingredients on hand.  Second of all, it takes less than thirty minutes.  Third of all, this recipe is an open canvas.  You can add a cooked sweet potato, or coconut milk, or cinnamon or substitute cilantro for the parsley.

A side note:  when draining the boiled carrots, pour the water through a strainer and into a bowl so that you can save the carrot water for a vegetable broth.

Another great aspect about this recipe is that it can be used as a dip for pita bread, or a topping for chicken or tofu, or as a spread for a sandwich.  The options really are endless.  

Moroccan Carrot Dip

Adapted from Vegetarian Appetizers by Paulette Mitchell

Yields about 2 cups

1 lb. bag baby carrots

1 large clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1/8 tsp paprika

3 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

1-2 Tbsp water, if needed

Boil carrots for 10-15 minutes or until they can easily be cut in half with a fork.  Drain carrots and let partially cool.  Add carrots and the remaining ingredients, except for the parsley and water to the food processor.  Blend well.  Intermittently scrape sides of bowl if necessary.  Add 1-2 Tbsp of water to make dip more creamy and smooth if needed.

Transfer to serving bowl and integrate the parsley and add a few pieces on top.  Serve with pita chips, as a sandwich spread or topping for grilled chicken. 



Dinner: Figs, dates, olives, blue cheese, toast with figs, arugula and blue cheese, and toast with Moroccan carrot dip.



Synergized Leftovers

Last night I got home from a lovely massage and trip to Whole Foods, and wanted to make something quick and easy, and with ingredients I already had.  So I took the leftover grain portion of the Enchanted Broccoli forest (see previous blog post), added sauteed Brussels Sprouts and garlic, and topped it with an egg.  Voila!  It was even better than if eaten separately!  And I polished off a bottle of Kambucha tea while eating dinner.  The best part about it was that this all took under 15 minutes to prepare.

Synergized Leftovers

6 Brussels sprouts, chopped into shredded form

2 cloves garlic, diced

Olive oil to saute

1 cup Enchanted Broccoli Forest grains (see previous blog entry)

1 egg, fried

Prep the Brussels sprouts.  Heat pan over medium heat.  Add oil and saute garlic for 1-2 minutes.  Add shredded Brussels sprouts.  Cook for a few minutes.  Add the grain mixture from Enchanted Broccoli Forest.  While this is cooking, cook an egg in another pan.  Cook Brussels Sprouts and grains until the cheese in the grains seems cooked through and melted.  Plate and add egg on top.  YUM!

Italian Dinner Party

My two girlfriends and I had a little dinner party for ourselves last Friday and were quite impressed with the outcome!  It was an Italian feast with sparkling, white and red wine.  Our menu was as follows:

• Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus
• Tomato, Cucumber and Avocado Salad dressed with fresh grown herbs from T's back yard
•  Herbed Chicken with Sauteed Polenta
• Wheat Pizza with Blue cheese, Parmesan, Tomato and Arugula

T's locally (except for the avocado) grown salad and dressing.

I left my camera's memory card at home, so M so nicely took pictures for me on her iPhone. 

M's prosciutto wrapped asparagus appetizer we snacked on while cooking.

The pizza dough is so easy to make.  I came home from work, mixed it all together, and let it sit for an hour while I got ready.  Then just carted it over to T's house, and was ready for it's brief second rising.  I am calling it wheat pizza dough, because I did one half whole wheat flour, and one half all purpose.  I have tried doing 100% whole wheat, which is definitely healthier and more fiberful, but it makes such dense dough, and it doesn't rise nearly as much.  But you can certainly use all whole wheat, and just make a denser crust.   I also spiked the dough with black pepper to pack a subtle spicy punch.

Dough during brief second rising.



The blue cheese I used was so great.  It came in thinly sliced sheets divided by parchment paper.  Perfect for sandwiches, bruschetta or pizza.



Every single bite of everything was so delicious.  A true mix of flavors, colors, textures and love.  It was a night of three of our favorite things: good conversation, great food, and wine.  And if you haven't noticed, our initials spell out ATM, which we pridefully call ourselves.

Wheat Pizza with Blue Cheese, Parmesan, Tomato and Arugula

1 packet (1/4 oz) active dry yeast

1/2 tsp sugar

1 cup lukewarm/warm water, and extra if needed (warm to the touch, about 100 degrees)

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all purpose flour, extra for kneading

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

2-3 tsp olive oil

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

Parmesan cheese

Blue cheese

Sliced roma tomatoes

Arugula

In a measuring cup, combine the warm/lukewarm water, yeast and sugar.  Set aside for 5-10 minutes.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the two flours, pepper, salt and mix evenly.  Drizzle the 2-3 tsp olive oil over flour mixture.  (This ingredient can be left out, but it does add a little crispness to the dough).  Integrate the oil into the flour. 

Check on the yeast/water.  The yeast is ready and activated when the water is cloudy and the top is sort of bubbling.  Add to flour mixture.  Mix well with a large spoon.  Balance out the dough by adding more flour or water, so that it is a consistency that you can easily hold in your hands and knead on a board.

Coat a surface or cutting board with a healthy portion of flour.  Put the dough on board and begin kneading, folding in half, flattening, folding in half, etc.  Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes.  If the dough is sticking to the board, keep adding flour little by little, to make the dough smooth.

Take a large clean mixing bowl and put a thin layer of olive oil, or spray oil all inside it.  Put dough in bowl, and roll it around so it gets coated with a little oil.  Cover with a damp cloth and set in a warm area of the house.  Let sit for 1 hour.

While it is rising, you can prep the rest of the ingredients.  Chop the roma tomatoes.  Mix the olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.  (Note: you can also substitute with a marinara sauce, pesto, or no sauce if you like.)  Also, feel free to add any other ingredient for topping.  I added corn and carmelized onions to mine in another recipe. 

After 1 hour, dough should have doubled in size.  Punch down with knuckles to release air bubbles.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and roll out dough, into whatever shape you like.  You can make a crust, as above, or make it uniform in thickness.  Once in place, let the dough sit for about 10 minutes, for a brief second rising.

Drizzle olive oil mixture over dough, just enough to coat it.  (Or marinara, pesto, or your favorite sauce.)  Next sprinkle with parmesan and blue cheese, to whatever cheese amount you like.  I just did a thin layer, because the blue cheese adds a ton of flavor, without going overboard on amount.  Place sliced romas on top. 

Bake until cheese is melted and dough is thoroughly cooked, about 15-20 minutes.  Remove from oven and top with fresh arugula.  Also really good to drizzle a little balsamic vinegar on top too.  Enjoy enjoy enjoy!

The Enchanted Broccoli Forest

About five years ago, I decided to end my stint as a vegetarian, by getting a cheeseburger from Whole Foods.  I had been having dreams about bacon for months, and I'd wake up asking myself why I wasn't eating meat.  So finally, I broke the meat fast.  But during my nine years of no-meat eating, I collected quite a few vegetarian cookbooks, including the Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Mollie Katzen. 

During grad school, my three roommates and I would have a huge family dinner every Sunday night, and this dish was featured at one of them.  It is a great way to use up leftover cooked grains (any kind is fine, such as rice, quinoa, barley, etc.) and spices that generally are on the spice rack.   As usual, I have altered it from the original recipe, which you are welcome to do too.  In this particular version today, I added some leftover quinoa, celery and brown rice.

A mix of red and white quinoa.

When preparing the broccoli, you can mince the stalk into small pieces and saute it with the onion and garlic.  This is a great way to use as much of the broccoli as possible, which adds nutrients and fiber to the dish.

The Enchanted Broccoli Forest

Adapted from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest Cookbook

2 bunches fresh broccoli

1-2 Tbsp Earth Balance margarine (or olive oil or butter)

3/4 cup celery, diced

1/2 medium onion, diced

3/4 tsp salt

2 cloves garlic, diced

2 Tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed

2 cups cooked brown rice

2 cups cooked quinoa

Black pepper to taste

Cayenne to taste

2 tsp dried dill

1 1/2 tsp dried sage

1 cup parmesan cheese

Melted Earth Balance (or butter) to top broccoli

Trim the bottoms of the broccoli and mince the stalk as pictured above.  Cut the tops into long spears so you can place them in the grains like little trees.  Cook them in boiling water or steam for about 20 seconds, until they turn bright green.  Remove, put in strainer, and rinse under cold water, drain and set aside.

Preheat over to 325 degrees.  Grease an oven proof pan.

Melt the butter or olive oil in a Dutch oven or large skillet.  Add the onions, celery, broccoli stalks, pepper and salt.  Saute until onions soften, for about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and lemon juice and saute for about 2 minutes.  Stir in the rice and quinoa, pepper, cayenne, herbs and cheese.  Correct flavorings if necessary and spread in the prepared pan.

Arrange the broccoli in the rice, like little trees.  Drizzle with melted Earth Balance or butter.  Cover with foil and bake until heated through (about 15-20 minutes).  Serve immediately!

Arrange the broccoli like little trees

Top with melted margarine or butter and salt and pepper



Cheddar Herb Biscuits

I bought a set of four different sized biscuit cutters about a year ago, actually to make ravioli.  But since then, I haven't used any of them.  And they are so cute with the grooved edges!  I also just recently bought some lowfat buttermilk to use in an Indian food dish, but ended up not using it.  And I had about 1/4 cup of frozen cheddar cheese that also needed to be used.  So the combination of these three components, and an invitation to a potluck materialized into these lovely biscuits. 

You can make the biscuits any size you like.   I used the smallest biscuit cutter size I had, which turned out to make miniature biscuits, about the size of a jumbo marshmallow.  They are delicious eaten alone, or broken in half, toasted and added on top of a broth-based soup, as a crouton.  I ate a few on top of a celery and wild rice soup, and the combination of spices and tastes took me right to a Thanksgiving-type meal.  Very warming!

I adapted this from a recipe on Allrecipes.com.  I switched out some of the spices and added the cheddar.  Besides cutting out about 50 small biscuits, it is a pretty quick and simple recipe!

Cheddar Herb Biscuits

adapted from Allrecipes.com recipe

2 cups all purpose flour, sifted*

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 pinch salt

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried summer savory

1 tsp dried sage

1 1/2 tsp dried basil

1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk

*Quick note:  If you don't have a flour sifter (like me),  you can use a small mesh strainer to pour and shake the flour through into the mixing bowl.  It is a good alternative!

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.   In large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, thyme, summer savory, sage, and basil.  Ensure that every ingredient gets incorporated evenly.

Cut butter into small cubes and incorporate into flour mixture.  Use a pastry blender, or better yet, your hands, to fully mix the butter in, until the mixture has a course crumb texture, not larger than the size of peas.  Toss in the cheddar, and mix well.  Slowly pour the buttermilk over the mixture, and fluff with a fork, just until mixture is moistened. 

Turn the dough onto floured board and knead 4-5 times.  Form dough into large circle about 3/4 inch in thickness.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Cut biscuits to desired shape and size, and place on baking sheet.  When you get to the point of not having enough dough, because of all the cut-outs, re-roll dough into a whole shape, and begin cutting again, and repeat until you have used all the dough.  Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes, depending on size of biscuit.   Pop in your mouth immediately!