Roasted Fennel with Parmesan Vinaigrette January 5, 2013

 

I created this recipe for Vegetarian Times (1 food, 5 ways: fennel, March 2012).  Roasting fennel concentrates its natural sweetness and mellows out the licorice flavor.  A sprinkling of Parmesan gives it a crunchy crust, while the tender center of the fennel pieces melt in your mouth.  This makes a lovely winter starter or side dish – especially for braised or roasted meat.  Of all the fennel recipes that I made for family and friends to taste-test while developing the fennel recipes for Vegetarian Times, this one was the favorite.

Roasted Fennel with Parmesan Vinaigrette

 

3 medium fennel bulbs, quartered

1/8 cup olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 Tbs.)

1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 Tbs. red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

 

1. Preheat oven to 425˚F. Coat rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan with cooking spray.

2. Blend oil, garlic, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper in food processor until smooth.  Toss fennel with oil mixture and Parmesan in large bowl until coated.

3.  Place fennel on prepared baking sheet, and roast 35-40 minutes, or until tender and outer edges are golden brown.

 

Serves 4

Photo credit: Vegetarian Times

Baked Sweet Potato Falafel December 11, 2012

My crop-share doled out a ton of huge sweet potatoes this fall and I was in need of an appetizer to serve a crowd.  Scrolling through Pinterest for ideas, I came across a pin for a baked sweet potato falafel from the Leon Cookbook featured on 101 Cookbooks.  I doubled the recipe and added a yogurt sauce to complete the dish (as my husband would say, isn’t everything better with a dipping sauce?!?).  These baked mounds of goodness are topped with sesame seeds to make up for the crunch lost from baking instead of frying.  This recipe is now in my regular weeknight rotation, but is tasty enough to serve as a cocktail party appetizer.

Baked Sweet Potato Falafel

2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 ½ pounds total)
2 small cloves of garlic

1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin

1 ½  teaspoons ground coriander

½ bunch fresh cilantro

Juice of 1 lemon

1 cup chickpea flour

Olive oil

Small handful sesame seeds

1 tsp. Kosher salt + more for yogurt sauce

fresh-ground black pepper, to taste

1 (6oz) container Greek yogurt (such as Fage 0%)

To make the falafel:

1.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Wrap pierce sweet potatoes several times with a knife, then wrap each potato in tinfoil.  Place wrapped potatoes on a baking sheet lined with foil.  Roast until just tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Let potatoes cool, then peel them and discard the skin.

2.  Mince garlic in the bowl of a large food processor, then add sweet potato flesh, cumin, coriander, cilantro, ½ lemon juice, chickpea flour, 1 Tablespoon salt and pepper.  Blend until smooth, with no large lumps.  Refrigerate mixture for about an hour, giving it time to firm up.  The mixture should be sticky rather than really wet.  Add a additional chickpea flour, 1 Tablespoon at a time, if necessary (the water content of sweet potatoes varies).

3.  Reheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.  Using a spring-loaded scoop or a couple of soup spoons (scoop up a heaping spoonful of mixture in one spoon and use the concave side of the other to shape the sides), make the mixture into balls and place on prepared baking sheet.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake for 15 minutes, or until the bottoms are slightly golden brown and the balls are firm to the touch (but not hard – they should give a little).  Serve in whole wheat pita with yogurt sauce.

To make the yogurt sauce:

Combine yogurt, remaining ½ lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl.  Serve with falafel.

Serves 4-6 (makes about 18 falafels)

Zucchini Pancakes with Yogurt Dill Sauce August 13, 2011

Here’s another great zucchini recipe for those with a bumper crop.  These savory pancakes are light, yet filling enough for dinner when paired with salad or corn on the cobb.  I used yellow summer squash for the batch pictured, but generally makes these with zucchini.  A combination of both zucchini and summer squash is a nice alternative too.  Using garbanzo bean flour makes these pancakes gluten-free and adds some protein, as does the tangy yogurt sauce.  The pancakes can be prepared in advance and kept warm in the oven; the yogurt sauce can also be made in advance and kept separate from the pancakes until ready to serve.

Zucchini Pancakes with Yogurt Dill Sauce

For pancakes:

2 small or 1 medium to large zucchini (or yellow squash), grated

¼ medium onion, grated

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 clove garlic, minced

6 Tbs. garbanzo bean flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 Tbs. fresh dill, chopped

½ tsp. salt

Fresh-ground pepper

2 Tbs. olive oil, divided

For yogurt sauce:

6oz plain Greek yogurt (fat free or 0% works well)

½ Tbs. fresh dill, chopped

Salt and fresh-ground pepper to taste

Additional sprigs of dill, as garnish (optional)

1.            Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with tinfoil and set aside.  Combine grated zucchini, onion, eggs, garlic, garbanzo bean flour, baking powder, salt and pepper in medium bowl and mix well.  [If your batter is very loose, you may need to add an additional 1-2 Tbs. garbanzo bean flour; the consistency should be similar to a thick pancake batter.]

2.            Heat 1 Tbs. olive oil in 12” nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Scoop ¼ cup of batter into pan a spread lightly with the back of measuring cup to flatten.  Repeat and cook 4 pancakes in the pan at a time.  Flip when bubbles begin to form around the edges and cook until moderately firm and golden brown on both sides.  Remove from pan, place on prepared baking sheet and keep warm in pre-heated oven while making the next batch.  Add remaining Tbs. olive oil to pan and make 4 more pancakes (recipe makes 8 pancakes total).

3.            Place additional cooked pancakes on baking sheet and keep warm in oven until ready to serve (up to 30 minutes).  Make yogurt sauce by combining yogurt, chopped dill, salt and pepper.  Serve warm pancakes with a dallop of yogurt sauce and a spring of dill, if using.

Simple Summer Appetizer – Cantaloupe Caprese Salad or Skewers July 27, 2010

Since the heat wave moved in I haven’t been able to turn on my oven.  As a result, I have gotten creative with my no-cook recipes.  A caprese salad is one of my favorites this time of year, when the tomatoes and basil are at their best.  But instead of tomatoes, I substitute cantaloupe and made a delicious hip twist on this Italian classic.  Serve this combo as a salad or on mini skewers for a party (or kids).  This is a savory recipe – think of it like a vegetarian version of cantaloupe and prosciutto, another delicious sweet-salty combo. 

Seed and cut one ripe cantaloupe into chunks or round balls (with a mellon baller).  Use one container of Bocconcini (mini Mozzarella balls) and a small bunch of fresh basil.  Layer cantaloupe, Bocconcini and basil on skewers and repeat until the skewers are full, leaving an inch or so at the end.  Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Instead of skewers, make a salad using the same ingredients and tossing until combined.  Serve with a nice glass of white wine or prosecco and enjoy!

Spanish Tortilla Recipe September 29, 2009

I can think of few things more comforting than crispy potatoes layered with caramelized onions.  These delicious bite-size appetizers are a must on an tapas menu and a crowd-pleasing, inexpensive addition to any cocktail party menu.  Make the tortilla up to a day in advance.  Once cooled, cut into small wedges or squares and refrigerate.  Serve at room temperature or warm by heating tortilla bites on a cookie sheet at 300 degrees for 15 minutes or until warm.

 

Add any of the following complimentary ingredients if you’d like to add more flavor and color to the tortilla:  Chopped pimientos or roasted red peppers, diced chorizo, sauted kale, spinach or zucchini.  Parsley is an excellent garnish for the tortilla.

 

Here are the links to my favorite tortilla recipes.  The first recipe (from Food Network) is an authentic recipe; the second recipe (from epicurious) is a less labor-intensive variation that’s baked in the oven.

 

Traditional Spanish Tortilla:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/spanish-tortilla-recipe/index.html

Baked Spanish Tortilla Bites
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chorizo-and-Potato-Spanish-Tortilla-Bites-236695

 

*I added chopped pimientos to the tortilla pictured above.

Savory Black & White “Cookies” April 12, 2008

Black & white has and will always be an elegant color combination.  While these black olive tampenade and goat cheese crostinis are not a sweet treat (like the giant black & white frosted cookies that theses crostini are reminiscent of), it does make a great appetizer that is deliciously simple, elegant and easy to eat.  Serve these as part of a tapas theme cocktail party or as an appetizer.

 

Savory Black & White Cookies

a.k.a. crostini with black olive tapenade & goat cheese

 

1 loaf baguette (white or whole wheat), sliced into ½ inch rounds

6oz goat cheese, softened

6oz jar of black olive tapenade (or homemade)

extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled

 

1.       Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Slice baguette into rounds and place the rounds in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Drizzle or brush olive oil onto the top of each piece of bread.  Baked on a rack in the middle of the oven until golden brown and slightly crispy (about 8 minutes).  Remove from the oven and rub the garlic clove on the oiled side each round.  Cool to room temperature.  The step can be done up to a week in advance.

 

2.       Using a small butter knife to spread goat cheese onto half of each crostini.  Spread tapenade onto the other half.  Serve at room temperature.   

 

 

 

Hooray for Hummus April 11, 2008

Hummus is one of my all-time favorite party foods.  It’s not only a really tasty dip –  it’s also healthy and filling.  You can buy a container of pre-packaged hummus, but this recipe is almost as easy and tastes so much better.  Trust me, it is worth the effort.  So plug in your food processor and you’ll have this delicious, creamy dip ready it no time.

 

Hummus

 

2 C. cooked chickpeas, cooking liquid reserved, or 15oz canned chickpeas, liquid reserved

¼ C. tahini (sesame seed paste)

¼ C. toasted sesame oil or extra virgin olive oil (optional)

2 medium cloves of garlic

juice from 1-2 lemons

½ Tbs. cumin or paprika (sweet)

¼ tsp. salt (optional)

fresh ground black pepper, to taste

toasted sesame oil or extra virgin olive oil for drizzling on top (optional)

sweet paprika for sprinkling on top (optional)

chopped fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

whole sesame seeds, toasted until golden brown for garnish (optional)

 

1.       With the lid of the food processor secured and the motor running, put whole garlic cloves through the shoot one at a time to quickly mince.  Stop the motor and add chickpeas, tahini, oil, lemon juice and cumin.  Puree until you have a smooth puree.  If the puree is too thick add reserved liquid, a few tablespoons at a time, until desired consistency is reached.  Add salt and pepper to taste and pulse to combine.

 

2.       Chill the hummus until ready to serve.  To serve, drizzle hummus with oil and sprinkle with paprika, chopped parsley and/or toasted sesame seeds.  Serve at room temperature with carrots, assorted vegetables (zucchini sticks, cucumber slices, grape tomatoes, raw broccoli, blanched green beans), whole wheat pita or crackers.

 

 

·        While a lot of people love hummus, there are obviously different preferences for the ratio of ingredients used.  Since it is your hummus, taste the hummus as you add ingredients and add more tahini, lemon juice or spices as you go to make it how you like it. 

 

·        Add the salt only after you have reached desired consistency (anywhere from chunky to smooth, depending on your preference) because cooking and canning liquids can add a salty taste and you don’t want to end up with overly salty hummus.

 

·        If you want to make this dip lower in fat, omit the oil and use extra cooking liquid to reach desired consistency.  Top with paprika and parsley.

 

·        I like to make hummus a day or two in advance and keep it in the refrigerator because it gives the flavors time to meld.

 

·        Using dried chickpeas that you cook (rather than canned) makes this dip a lot more nutritious, but obviously takes more time.  I think it is worth the extra effort if I have the time, but try it once yourself and see if it is worth it to you.