Category Archives: lunch

Simple Vegetable Bean Soup

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Mmmm, soup is good food (I usually sing the Dead Kennedys song in my head)

Mmmm, soup is good food (I usually sing the Dead Kennedys song in my head)

Did I jinx the nice, unseasonably warm weather that we had the week of Christmas?? Dammit, I miss the 60 degree days and not wearing a winter coat. In fact, I just wore my winter coat for the first time last Monday when it was in the low 40’s here. Sigh. Well, when the temps drop, I like to have a nice bowl of soup and some crusty bread for my dinner. I also seem to make a TON of soup so, I end up freezing most of it. I definitely need a larger freezer. This is a basic vegetable soup recipe…and of course, you can add any type of beans or vegetables you like and adjust the seasonings. I only had white beans on hand, but this is also good with chickpeas. I have also added tiny diced potatoes, chopped broccoli or cauliflower to the soup and it’s delicious.

  • 2TB extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2-3 carrots, chopped
  • 1 stalk of celery, chopped
  • 1/2 a bunch of lactino kale, chopped
  • 1 28oz can of Muir Glen Fire Roasted diced tomatoes
  • 2 cartons of unsalted vegetable stock (I always use Kitchen Basic’s unsalted veg stock)
  • 1 can of cannellini beans
  • 1 cup cooked macaroni or small shell pasta
  • Bay Leaf
  • 1-2 tsp Italian seasoning spice
  • Salt & pepper

In a stock pot or Dutch Oven (I used my Le Cruset dutch oven), heat oil over medium heat, then sauté the garlic, onions, carrots and celery until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the stock and diced tomatoes, let simmer and then add the kale and beans. Add the seasonings to taste. For a kick, I added some crushed red pepper. Simmer over low heat until the kale is cooked. Add the pasta last (so it’s not overcooked). Serve immediately. Grate some pecorino romano on top too while you’re at it.

I miss the DKs:
Soup is good food!

Tangy Brussels Sprouts and Purple Cabbage Slaw

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Brussels Sprouts and Purple Cabbage Slaw

Brussels Sprouts and Purple Cabbage Slaw

I didn’t feel like roasting brussels sprouts and I had some purple cabbage lying around…so, why not some slaw in December? This recipe comes together very quickly. You can even make the dressing well beforehand and add it later. Note: I used half a 16oz bag of pre-washed sprouts and half a 6 oz container of shredded, washed cabbage because it’s just me and I wanted to used both items later on in the week for another couple recipes.

Slaw

  • 8oz of Brussels Sprouts, thinly sliced/chopped
  • 3-4 oz chopped purple cabbage

Dressing

  • 1 1/2 TB Olive Oil
  • 3 TB mayonaise (plus more to taste)
  • 1 TB Red Wine Vinegar
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 2 tsp spicy paprika
  • Dash of crushed red pepper
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Add sliced Brussels and cabbage to a large bowl (you may want to use your kitchen shears to further cut up the veggies) and set aside. For the dressing-use a small bowl and add all ingredients. Use a small whisk or a fork until well blended. Taste as you go and adjust the flavors. Add the dressing to the slaw and stir until well coated. You may find that you have to add a tiny bit more mayo to thicken the dressing, which is what I did. Trust your judgment. Adjust seasonings as needed.

Spaghetti Squash Mac and Cheese

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spaghettisquash

I love mac-n-cheese, but sometimes I don’t want to eat pasta. So, enter the lovely (and seasonal!) spaghetti squash, which I’ve used in the past in place of pasta with tomato sauce or pesto. If you’re one of those weirdos (kidding!) who say, “Oh, yuck. I hate squash,” you just might change your mind when you try this. Trust me, if you add enough cheese sauce…you’ll be won over.

  • 1 spaghetti squash, halved, seeds/innards removed*
  • 1 C. steamed broccoli florets
  • 1 C. reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1/2 C. grated pecorino romano
  • 1 TB butter
  • 1 TB AP flour
  • 1 C. milk (room temperature)
  • 1 tsp ground mustard
  • 1 tsp hot paprika
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • crushed red pepper (optional)
  • 1/4 C. panko bread crumbs (optional)

Update: I just learned that rather than struggle with cutting a spaghetti squash in half, one can poke a bunch of holes in it with a knife or fork and microwave it whole for 12-15 minutes until soft, OR, roast in a baking dish whole for an hour (also poke holes in it). That is SO much easier than pretty much using a machete and almost cutting off a finger.

Cut squash in half and either spray with cooking spray or, rub a bit of olive oil on the squash. Bake, halved side up on a baking sheet for about 50-60 minutes (or, until the squash is tender and fully cooked (ie: soft) at 400 degrees. Let squash cool off until you can handle it. Using a fork, scrape out the insides of squash–it should look like angel hair pasta. Add to steamed** broccoli in bowl and set aside.

squashnbroccoli

Make the cheese sauce: Over a low heat, melt the butter in a small/medium sized sauce pan, add the flour and whisk out any lumps, add the milk and the cheeses and let it simmer. Add the ground mustard and paprika too. Whisk until a smooth sauce forms. Pour cheese sauce over squash and broccoli, stir until well-coated. Now, at this point you can serve and eat it, but, I went a step further. I put the mixture in an 8×8 baking dish, topped with a tablespoon of grated pecorino and the 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs and baked it for 30-40 minutes at 400 degrees until it was brown and crispy on top.

Spaghetti Squash Mac and Cheese!

Spaghetti Squash Mac and Cheese!

*Wait! Don’t discard those squash seeds! You can eat them! Remove them and rinse in a colander, making sure to get all the bits of squash guts off of them. Pat dry with a paper towel and put ’em in a bowl. Drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil to coat them, sprinkle a little salt and maybe some crushed red pepper, spread on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes, or until toasted.

**I’ve found that I’m too lazy to use a stovetop steamer, so, I put the broccoli florets in a microwave-safe bowl with a bit of water, cover the bowl with wax paper and nuke it for a minute and a half. I don’t like wilt-y broccoli; I still want it with a slight snap…thus the brief cooking time

Raw Brussels Sprouts Salad with Almonds and Lemon Dressing

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brusselssalad

For me, Brussels Sprouts are a fall or winter vegetable, but, recently, I had bought a bag of them because I wanted a raw salad. This is something easy to put together because for some reason I’ve been feeling a little lazy lately. This is a nice light side dish, or afternoon snack.

  • 1 Bag of Brussels, trimmed and thinly sliced
  • 1/4 C raw almonds, chopped
  • 3-4 TB Olive Oil
  • 2 TB Mayonaise
  • Juice of one lemon
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1/2tsp of dried mustard powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the dressing: Start with 3 TB of extra virgin olive oil (honestly, I didn’t measure the ingredients for the dressing, but eyeballed it.) Add lemon juice and mayo, garlic and mustard powder. I used my tiniest whisk to combine the ingredients. Taste it and adjust to your liking.

Slice up those Brussels, add them to a large bowl, add chopped almonds and toss with your dressing. Add a little bit of shredded pecorino Romano if you’re feeling it.

#summer #dinner #BrusselsSprouts

Kale, Chickpea and Shaved Pecorino Salad with Lemon

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Firstly, I realize that I have several kale recipes on my website. BUT, in my defense, they are all delicious. Though, in having so many recipes, I think I’ve become a Brooklyn stereotype. But, hey, I don’t care because my appetite at lunch yesterday while working from home was sated.

  • 1 bunch of dinosaur kale, thinly chopped
  • A handful of raw almonds, toasted, then chopped
  • 1 can of chickpeas, rinsed*
  • 2-3 tsp of olive oil
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • shaved pecorino
  • salt and pepper to taste

Note, I find that if I massage the kale with the oil I use less oil. So, then, massage olive oil into the kale leaves until they are well-coated, add remaining ingredients and toss. You can add some lemon zest too, but, for me, the juice was just perfect.

*Now that I think of it, this would kick it up a bit if the chickpeas were roasted in the oven and then cooled slightly. Hmmm…next time!