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Cold Bulgur, Lentils, Vegetable, & Goat Cheese Salad (AKA Mighty Grains Salad)

We ate with abandon while on vacation last week, so healthy salads like this one, inspired by Mighty Grain Salad on Happolks, are both necessary and a relief to get back onto our normal eating path. (The recipe comes from Laura at The First Mess, but she guest-posted on the first site.)

I used bulgur (about 2 cups cooked), brown lentils (about 1 cup cooked), carrots (3), red pepper (1), mushrooms (about a cup), kale (3 huge handfuls), and goat cheese (2 ounces), plus balsamic vinegar and olive oil to make my version. The trick, which J. reminds me time and again, is to dice the vegetables quite small. Yes, it takes more time than rough-chopping, but having the petite vegetable pieces mirror the size of the lentils makes this salad feel like something you’d pay for — polished and put together.

This salad is fantastic. Along with a bit of homemade hummus, it made a tasty and satisfying meal that is a far cry from the foie gras meatballs I was eating last week. But, just as delicious in its own right.

3 Comments May 9, 2012

Spaghetti with Lentils, Spinach, & Red Pepper

This is a thrown-together meal with no particular proportions. I used whole wheat spaghetti, and tossed it with a sauteed mix of green onions, baby spinach, a red pepper, and Melissa’s Steamed Lentils.

The lentils were pre-cooked, and I found them in the produce section of my supermarket. I love lentils but I’m not great at cooking them — I’ve yet to find the perfect balance between fully cooked but not mushy. These lentils, however, were perfect. They are vacuum-sealed, so they retain their brick-like shape even once you open the package; you’ll need to crumble the lentils into your dish to break them apart. But, for convenience and flavor you can’t beat them. My days of buying dried lentils except for soup may be over.

March 19, 2012

Homemade Pizza (or Calzone) Dough

“Make your own pizza” nights have become a favorite of my boys, although G. chooses to make calzones from the same ingredients as the pizza. I used to buy pre-made whole wheat dough at my supermarket (they kept it in the refrigerated section near the shredded cheese), but although it was serviceable it bounced back a lot. It was hard to stretch it out to the thinness we wanted, so the crust was always relatively thick and turned out chewy at best, and underdone at worst.

Since getting a stand mixer, I’ve tried making my own pizza dough a few times, though I’ve been working on a white flour version from the book that came with my mixer. Last night I got it perfect. We were able to make very thin crust pizza that actually crackled when I cut into it with a chef’s knife. Both boys agreed that this was the best dough we’d ever made, and that it did not need any more tweaks. See how thin that pizza is? It had a great crunch when we bit into it, too.

Because I am new to working with yeast, I use an instant-read thermometer to double-check the temperature of the water I’m using before I add the yeast. Turns out, “warm” water is actually much hotter than I would expect.

Also, my kitchen is the coldest room in my house, even though it’s not drafty. In my parent’s home, we’d let dough rise in the small utility room that held the water heater — it was clean, draft-free, and toasty. I don’t have an area like that, so instead I preheat my oven to 180° F, then turn it off. This creates an insulted, warm space for my dough to rise, but without being hot enough to start cooking it.

Next up: figuring out a whole wheat crust we all love.

Pizza & Calzone Dough
Adapted from Crusty Pizza Dough, in the KitchenAid Stand Mixer manual

Note: This recipe includes 2 hours of rising time.

1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (105° to 115°)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. olive oil (+ a little extra)
3 c. bread flour, divided (+ a little extra)

Add yeast to the bowl of your stand mixer, and then pour warm water over it. And salt, oil, and 2 cups of the flour. Using your dough hook, mix on Speed 2 for about a minute.

While continuing to mix, add in the remaining cup of flour, a bit at a time, until the flour is incorporated and the dough starts to pull off the side of the bowl. Knead on the same speed for 2 more minutes. Your dough should feel smooth, and not sticky at all.

Lightly coat a bowl with olive oil, and place dough in the bowl, then flip it over so it has a thin layer of oil on top.

Cover the top of the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel. Let it rise in a warm spot for 1 hour until it doubles in size. If you press a finger into the dough, the indentation should stay there. Punch the dough down, and let it rise, covered for another hour. Punch it down a final time.

Dough can be rolled with a pin or stretched to make pizza or calzones. Bake at 400° F for about 20 minutes, or until done.

1 Comment December 20, 2011

Warm White Beans with Roasted Fennel & Red Pepper

This is a tasty, vegan winter dish. Although I don’t care for fennel raw, I really love it roasted.

Warm White Beans with Roasted Fennel & Red Pepper
Adapted from Cooking Light

2 medium fennel bulbs, trimmed and cut in 1/2″ slices
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut in 1/2″ slices
2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small onion, sliced
2 15-oz. cans cannellini beans, drained (or any white bean)
7 oz. package of fresh baby spinach, washed (about 4 c.)
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450° F.

Toss fennel, red pepper, and half the oil on a baking sheet, and bake for about 20 minutes until vegetables soften and begin to brown.

While the fennel and pepper are in the oven, add remaining oil to a large skillet and saute the onions over medium-high heat. Cook for 10 minutes, until they caramelize. Add beans to the onions and cook for an additional 5 minutes; add the fennel mixture when ready. Stir in the spinach and continue cooking for a few minutes over medium heat until the leaves wilt slightly. Season and serve warm.

2 Comments December 11, 2011