White Wine and Lemon-Steamed Salmon Cooked on Broccoli

During the calorically dense holiday season, it makes sense to have a couple of fish, poultry, or vegetable dishes to pull out of your back pocket.  This dinner is simple to cook, but the taste is anything but.  Sauté a small, chopped onion with some garlic and add broccoli.  Next, splash in white wine and fresh lemon juice.  Add a couple of salmon filets, cover, and that's it.  The vegetables become quite tender (don't start them ahead if you want them really crisp) and are infused with the citrusy-wine sauce.  In short, they're luscious.  The salmon is very moist-- cooked barely done, and isn't all hopped up with fancy or fattening sauces.  It reeks of itself...just as it should.  There's enough for two nights or for you and a friend.  Try this:

Rosemary Chicken Thighs with Butternut Squash and Fennel

 I've made this roasted chicken thigh and vegetable supper a few different ways....but the luscious, really luscious thing about it (besides being light on the wallet) is that you just throw a bunch of great food on a rimmed sheet pan, toss it with oil, salt, peppers, and rosemary, and shove it in the oven for 30-40 minutes.  Meantime--kiss your love, listen to NPR, iron your work blouse, or call your Mom.  Make double for leftovers or if you've invited a friend.   Wine?  Côtes du Rhône would definitely drink.

Chicken Chili for One

I once heard a woman say, "You can't make chili for two people."  As I began to write today, thinking about that conversation did make me do just a little bit of research...because I often make chili for one or two!

Baby Kale and Spinach with a Roasted Chicken Breast or...

When someone says "greens," I guess I usually think of turnip or collard greens.  Southern parents, I guess.   And while I like those on a  cold day with a big pan of crispy cornbread, that big mess of greens isn't my style all the time.  Give me a sauté pan full of teensy baby spinach just barely heated or even cooked way down with garlic as a base for fish.  Lately I've been adding kale to that mix and having that for lunch. (January, you know.)  A few grape tomatoes and a pinch of crushed red pepper and I'm that happy.  For the solo cook, both baby spinach and baby kale come in those not-so-green (tell me if  you know how to recycle them other than at Whole Foods) plastic boxes.  They keep a long time in your frig, which is useful for anyone who doesn't cook two pounds of vegetables every day.

Here's full-grown kale.  Chop it and saute it if you can't find baby kale.

California BLT Salad

 
Shopping for one is fun at Chico's or Talbot's.  Even if you don't buy anything.
Shopping for one is not always quite so much fun at Kowalski's or Cub Foods. 

While I am not a great fan of boneless chicken breasts, they do hold a special place in my heart when I'm shopping and cooking just for me. As do salads of any ilk.  For this California BLT salad,  The Solo Cook can run into the store, buy a couple of boneless breasts, a ripe avocado (hopefully), a few Kalamata olives at the olive bar, and just about skip on home to make this salad.  Granted, you must have a few staples on hand waiting in your kitchen, and those would include tiny tomatoes, red onion,  bacon, a bit of gratable cheese, and salad greens.  Keep some bacon in the freezer frozen into 1-2 piece packages.  And, for greens:   a big container of spinach lasts a long while, makes a great salad, and is perfect for omelets, vegetables sides, and sandwich greens.

Poached Eggs on Grilled Cheese Tomatoes

While the world waxes poetic about turkey and pumpkin pie (and I'm about to go that route, too), this week must also be about the balance.  While we'll eat like it's Thanksgiving Thursday, Friday (Saturday? Sunday?), perhaps a bit of lightness the rest of the week is in order.

Everyone who cooks for one has their favorites...a bit of poached salmon and microwaved green beans or two baby lamb chops and a spinach salad that's done in five minutes.  Maybe yours is grilled cheese and tomato soup or even sliced fresh apples with peanut butter and Triscuits. If by chance you like the grilled cheese option best, this might be your new supper.  If you adore Eggs Benedict, but don't want the muffins and Hollandaise on your thighs right now (or would like lighter fare), read and cook.  A spoonful of your favorite salsa is the perfect optional garnish.

Chicken Sausage Fry-up

 

Ten minutes to lunch or dinner

 For going on three weeks, I've been on  the South Beach Diet, Phase II.  I decided, despite it's name, to not call it a diet.  What I decided was that I was simply changing the way I eat to see if I could become smaller and be able to move more easily and quickly.  Looking better would be the secondary reward.  Already, I see and, more importantly, feel quite a difference.

Instead of counting and weighing in (which overwhelms your life) on Weight Watchers, I just know that I can

A. Have all the meat (lean, usually) and vegetables I want and that
B.  I have one serving each day of whole grains, dairy, fruit, and red wine.

Believe it or not, I don't miss whatever else I usually eat.  Perhaps I cook a bit more at breakfast and lunch, but I cooked a lot anyway.   I do really have to keep going back to the store for vegetables, though a big bunch or box of spinach in the frig helps. And... if I have oatmeal with blueberries and milk for breakfast, the rest of my day is protein, vegetables or salad.  It works and is no trouble.  I've given myself one meal off a week and I've eaten pizza, dessert...whatever.

As I cooked up this little instant ditty for my lunch yesterday while my husband ate a sandwich, I thought it was a great fit for Dinner Place, The Solo Blog.

I can't call it a recipe, but here's what I did:

In a medium skillet, I poured 1T olive oil.  I let it heat over medium heat and then added 2 small sliced yellow squashes, several slices of red onion, a 1/2 cup or so of sliced mushrooms,  and about 1/4 cup diced red pepper.  I sprinkled it with salt, pepper,  and a pinch each of crushed red pepper and dried thyme.  Basil or oregano would work,too, as would fresh parsley.  I then sliced and threw in two Aidell Chicken-Apple sausages and let it all cook for a few minutes until the vegetables were softened and the sausage (precooked) was hot.   As that cooked, I minced a garlic clove and cut up a few cherry tomatoes and threw them in for the last couple of minutes.   And that was lunch.  There's some leftover for today or I could stir it into my eggs.

If you need more to eat, add a little buttered and black peppered brown rice to your fry-up.

I was baking pie and made a coffee cup apple pie with the extra apples and pie dough.

I'm thinking about how to write a bit about pie-baking for one, but I love the idea of sharing pie, too.

If you'd like to read my More Time at the Table Post on baking an apple pie that can be made ahead and frozen for Thanksgiving, here's the link.

Have fun cooking and taking care of yourself,
Alyce

Veggie Pizza without the Pizza

Vegetables are maybe the thing about which most people are picky. Good pun, huh?  And if you're wondering why, it's because each little green or orange or yellow thing on the plate recalls some horror of a kitchen table nightmare ("My mother forced me to eat green beans at Thanksgiving.) or a tasteless memory of "the only vegetable my father cooked my whole life and he cooked it to death."  Thank God we've all grown up and gotten over all those things, right?  Oh.

But don't think you must choose between broccoli, green beans, and squash simply because you're the only one at the stove.  Choose several.  Cook them all together.  You then needn't worry about spoilage and you have a lip-smacking side (or main) to boot.  To boot now has a different meaning, doesn't it?

This particular melange of veg tastes, to me, like veggie pizza without the crust.  You can add a few shreds of mozzerella or shards of Parmesan if you like, but it doesn't need it.  And, as always in my house (and maybe yours), leftover this makes an omelet filling about which you've always dreamed:

I added a few leaves of spinach.

Vegetable Sauté (that tastes like Veggie Pizza)

• 1T olive oil

  • 1/2 tsp Herbes de Provence*

    • 1/4 t ea kosher salt and ground mixed peppercorns

• 2 small zucchini, sliced

• 8 oz sliced button mushrooms

• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced

• 1/2 small onion, sliced as thinly as possible

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

• Pinch of crushed red pepper

• 8 cherry tomatoes, cut in half

• 2T chopped fresh parsley

• 2T minced, pitted kalamata olives

  • Optional:  2T grated mozzerella or Parmesan cheese

*can sub a mix of dried basil, oregano, crushed rosemary, etc

1.  In a medium-large skillet, heat the oil, salt and pepper and herbes de Provence over medium-high heat for a minute or so.
2.  Add zucchini, mushrooms, bell pepper, and onion.   Cook, stirring for 3-4 minutes; add garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes until vegetables are all softened.  Dust with crushed red pepper.
3.  Stir in cut cherry tomatoes.
4.  Plate and garnish with parsley, olives,  and cheese if you choose.  

Serves 1 as a main dish or 2 as a side dish

Have fun cooking and taking care of yourself,
Alyce

Pumpkin-Chicken Chili

Double the recipe for a big batch.

This isn't instant chili.  If you want that, go to Wendy's or check out my Chili Now! recipe.  But neither is this the hours-long simmering concoction folks entering chili contests prepare.  (But go ahead and enter this one.  Long as you share the prize money.)  It's about an hour and maybe a little change.  Depending on how quickly you chop and how long you want to wait before eating. Could be less.  My cooking was delayed by puppy-sitting and a bit of travel.  Hence the hiatus in the blog.   Forgive me?

Our girl, Gabby (left) isn't so sure about the newcomer.

One of the best things about this chili is that it's made with your tastebuds and health in mind.   Boneless chicken thighs sub for beef and lots of vegetables make up the rest.  Zucchini, red peppers, pumpkin (or butternut squash if you'd rather), black beans, chick peas, and the usual suspects (onions, celery, garlic, tomatoes) abound.  If  company's coming, double the recipe for about 6 or 7 quarts of chili.  Otherwise, you'll have about three.  Which should suit you fine.   On Halloween or any other day. 

 

Ipad taking place of spiral notebook starting today.  Imported via email.

Pumpkin-Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 oz button mushrooms, quartered (1/4 of a regular cardboard container)
• 2/3 cup fresh pumpkin, cut into 1/2" dice (can sub butternut squash)
• 1 small zucchini, cut into 1" dice
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chili powder (or to taste)
• Pinch of crushed red pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
• 1/2 cup EACH white wine and water 
• 1/2 cup pureed pumpkin, optional
• 1 28 oz cans chopped tomatoes 
• 3 boned, skinned chicken thighs
• 1 15 oz can drained chick peas or black beans (1 of ea if doubling)

Directions*

1.  Heat 2 t of the olive oil in an 8 or 10 qt stockpot over medium heat, reserving other 2t for cooking the chicken.
2.  Add celery, onions, peppers, mushrooms, pumpkin and zucchini.  Season with salt and peppers.  Stir in water, wine,  Dijon-style mustard, and pureed pumpkin, if using.
3.  Pour in tomatoes.  Stir and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer 10 min.
4.  Meantime, heat a  skillet over medium-high heat with the rest of the olive oil.  Salt and pepper well the chicken thighs and place them in skillet.  Cook about 5 minutes on each side and turn down heat.  Cook until chicken is cooked through and no pink remains, about 5 more minutes.  Remove from skillet, cool briefly and dice.  Add to stockpot.
5.  Drain the chickpeas or black beans and add to the stockpot.  Stir well. Bring back to a boil and lower heat.  Simmer 15 -30minutes until all vegetables and chicken are tender.  Taste and adjust seasonings.
6.  Ladle chili into bowls and serve with a bit of grated cheddar or a teaspoon of sour cream.   Place a bottle of hot sauce at the table if you like things spicier.

*Crock-pot Directions:   Make a double batch and use a 6 qt. crock-pot.  In a large pot or skillet, saute onions, celery and garlic with chopped fresh boneless chicken thighs.  Cook until chicken is cooked through, stirring often.  Place in chicken mixture in crock-pot and stir in remainder of ingredients (other vegetables, tomatoes, etc.)  Do not add beans.  Add seasonings, but go easy on them as the crock-pot intensifies the spices.  Cook on low for about five hours and add drained beans during last hour of cooking.

Wine:  Dry Riesling or a lighter Zinfandel

Enjoy cooking and taking care of yourself,
Alyce

Butternut (and other) Squash Soup

Ladle into your prettiest bowl and be happy.

 I know.  I know.  Everyone and her brother makes butternut squash soup in the fall.  And I do, too.  In November, I mean.  As a first course for Thanksgiving dinner.  That soup holds roasted pears and apples, bits of flyingly fragrant ginger and garlic, and is served with a small glass of Riesling to open a beautiful meal.  It might even have a drop or two of real cream as a garnish.

But this soup is not that long-winded, almost poutingly full bowl of autumnal bounty.  This soup is a 1-2 punch meal, light but nutritious and perfect for dinner with a bit of cheese and bread.  Almost better warmed up in the microwave at work the next day. It makes use of the rest of the zucchini (geez) or yellow (summer) squash, but takes into account the winter squash you couldn't resist at the market. Freeze a bowl or two for next week and you're done and feeling rich.  Here's the drill:
 

Chop your veg, season, and saute in a bit of oil.

Add the butternut squash.

2 quarts of stock and bring to a boil, then simmer until veg are tender.

 

Puree with an immersion blender (or in food processor blender)--or not.  It's tasty chunky, too.

 Butternut (and other) Squash Soup

2T olive oil
1 cup each chopped onion and celery
1 each:  small-medium zucchini and yellow (summer) squash, diced--no need to peel
1/2 cup chopped carrot
2 cloves minced garlic
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Pinch of crushed red pepper
2 T fresh thyme, divided (or 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme, divided)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp ground ginger, optional
2 -3 cups chopped and peeled butternut squash
2 qts chicken or vegetable stock (plus or minus)
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, optional or 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In an 8-10 qt soup pot, saute over medium-high heat onion, celery, zucchini and yellow squash, and carrot until softened.  Add garlic and season liberally with salt and pepper.  Add crushed red pepper and 1T fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried thyme), parsley, and ginger.  Cook, stirring, another minute or two.  Stir in butternut squash and cook a few minutes, stirring.  Add broth, stir well, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are all tender--15-20 minutes.  Taste and adjust seasoning.  Puree with immersion blender or food processor or blender, if desired. If too thick, add a little more stock. If too thin, set back back on stove to simmer until reduced and thickened.  Ladle into bowls and garnish with a bit of thyme and a spoonful of Greek yogurt (or a sprinkle of Parmesan) if desired.  Serve hot.

Note:  This is a lovely meal for an ill friend. Go easy on the seasonings and check about the yogurt.

Have fun cooking and taking care of yourself,
Alyce

Herb-Butter Tuna

 

Herb Butter Tuna

If you need your main course in six minutes, this is your dinner.  Of course, if you want it done that fast, you'll need to buy the herb butter that tops this tuna.  Unless you are incredibly fast... and you might be.  In that case, make your own herb butter while the tuna cooks. 

If you like well-done tuna (tastes like pork tenderloin), you're going to need a little more time.  But not much.  You'd have time to, say, make a quick salad or phone call.  Nope, I'm wrong:   Skip the phone call while cooking--bad idea.  Let's just let the appliances in the kitchen be plugged in.

Add a couple of sides for a bigger meal--here with potatoes and squash.

The great thing about Herb-Butter Tuna is that you make a double dose and have enough for an entree salad the next day (or tacos, a sandwich, or wrap) or simply sweet, cold tuna chopped up for not so regular old tuna salad.

Sides?  I made two sides as it was a Friday night dinner I shared.  One was a saute of  thinly-sliced potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic and a bit of thyme--rather fall-like.  The other was some sliced snake squash (from my neighbor) that I sliced, cooked, and topped with chopped fresh, sweet red pepper and Italian parsley.

Sliced Snake Squash

Here's what this looks like whole... one of my favorite pics this summer.  Thanks, Wendy!

 At this time of year, a side of sliced tomatoes is probably plenty.  Still too warm for tuna and red wine (I typically like Pinot Noir with tuna)--try a no-Oak Chardonnay or an Oregon Pinot Gris or Pinot Blanc.  Here's how:

Herb-Butter Tuna

3T herb butter (instructions below or purchase pre-made)
2 tuna albacore steaks, about 6 oz each
olive oil
salt and pepper

 Pat tuna dry with paper towels and salt and pepper thoroughly. 

Heat a grill or grill pan (or skillet) over medium-high heat, brush with olive oil,  and add both tuna steaks.  Do not move the tuna around.  Let it sit to brown.  After 2 minutes (for rare) and 3 minutes (for medium rare), turn tuna over and repeat on the second side.  During last minute, top each piece of fish with half of the herb butter.  Cover with a pot lid, if needed, to melt butter, being careful to not overcook the tuna.  Let tuna sit one minute and serve hot.

Herb Butter

 *Herb Butter:  In a small bowl, mix well together (I use a wooden spoon)1 stick salted butter, 1-2 T each your choice of herbs (I like dill and parsley), 1T minced green onions, and a good pinch each of salt and pepper.  A bit of grated garlic is also a nice touch.  You can freeze this in tablespoons and take out just a bit to top vegetables, chicken, fish, or bread. 

South Beach Diet Note:  Do not choose the side with potatoes; stick with the squash.

Have fun cooking and take care of yourself,
Alyce  

Poached Egg Chef's Salad

Poached Egg Chef's Salad--Yum

 When I lived in Germany, I was greatly amazed at the foods that arrived at table with a fried egg on top.  (Beer at McDonald's was another eye opener.)  I don't think I'd seen a fried egg on a pork steak before.  Or on a beef steak.  I got used to it.  The eggs were just barely over easy and if you pricked the yoke with your fork, the gooey orange centers became a decadent, yummy sauce.  My father would have loved it.

Fast forward to summers in Minnesota.  Hot nights and no energy for the grill.  A lovely bowl of any greens, some (any) vegetables from the market, two poached eggs and you're set.  A bit of tomato is great.  A light, but filling meal with no leftovers.  No special ingredients and lovely for one person.   Did I say quick?  Dinner!

Poached Egg Chef's Salad with Vinaigrette serves 1

2 cups fresh greens
1/2 cup chopped fresh vegetables (carrots, celery, broccoli, etc.)
1 scallion, minced (or 1 tablespoon shallot or red onion)
1 slice turkey or ham, chopped or sliced 1/4" thick
1 slice cheese, sliced 1/4" thick
3 cherry tomatoes or 1/2 cup chopped fresh tomato
1T grated Parmesan cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 poached eggs*
1t fresh lemon juice

Vinaigrette:  Whisk together:  1 tsp white wine vinegar, pinch each salt and pepper, a tiny dab of Dijon mustard.  Then, continuing whisking, add 1T olive oil. Taste and adjust seasonings. 

In a large bowl, place cleaned greens and add the vegetables, meat and sliced cheese.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.   Add poached eggs, gently tapping the slotted spoon on a towel to remove excess water before placing  at the center of the salad.  Salt and pepper the eggs.  Squeeze the lemon juice over all and drizzle with vinaigrette.

*To poach two eggs:  Check out this wikihow clip.

Or follow my directions:   Heat 2" water to simmering in a small skillet.  Break one egg into a ramekin or small cup.  Slowly pour the egg into the water, stopping after the first bit of white is in..then continuing with the remainder of the egg.  Repeat with the other egg.  Cook 3 minutes or so or until the yolk is as done as you like.  Remove with a slotted spoon or ladle.  Tap off excess water before adding to salad or eating.  Eggs can be made ahead (undercook them a bit), stored in the frig and reheated gently in water right before serving.

Enjoy cooking and taking care of yourself,
Alyce

Tuna Salad (Not your Grandmother's) with Asian Dressing or How Not to be Afraid of Cooking Fish for YOU

Cook your tuna as you like...I like it fairly rare.

A piece of fish or two is a delicious, smart, economical, and healthy buy for the solo cook.  To begin with, you can buy fish by the piece.  You  not only get exactly the amount you need, but you get to pick your fish and talk to the fishmonger.   You might even get to talk to other people in line.  What are they buying?  How are they cooking it?  Ask them.  Soon they'll be asking you.

Fish inspires fear in many cooks:

• Is it fresh? (It should smell good if it's fresh.) 
• How do you cook it?  (If in doubt, drizzle with olive oil/salt/pepper,  saute/grill ten minutes per inch -5 if in sauce- and squeeze a bit of lemon on top at the table.  Some folks like salmon or tuna medium or rare.)  Unsure?  Cut it and look.  Is it opaque and or flakey (if a white fish)?  Then it's done. 
• Will it have bones?  (Make sure you have a good fillet, but still be careful.) 
• I don't know that kind of fish.  (So ask.)  Start with salmon and tuna.  They're bigger and more forgiving than skinny sole fillets..which are actually about the fastest thing in the world to cook.

To see some helpful videos about cooking fish, click here. (Free 7-day trial available.)

Shopping tip:  If you use the same place each time you buy fish, you'll come to trust them and they'll come to know you.

For the solo cook, I recommend buying two pieces of fish.  Cook them both at the same time and use the second piece for a salad or sandwich or snack the next day.  Cooked salmon is great stirred into almost done scrambled eggs; it also makes a great spread/dip.  (Mix into softened cream cheese, dill, onion, etc. and serve with bread or crackers.)  Leftovers create the need for invention and  the practice of invention makes a good cook.  When I made this salad, my husband liked it better than the original meal and said he'd eat it every week.  Interesting?

Here's the meal my tuna salad came from. I made an extra tuna steak and had enough salad for two, in fact.

I ran out of asparagus or would have used that in the salad.  Instead, I cooked a few green beans in the microwave.

Wine?  Dry riesling.  The Washington state ones might be more available than the German ones, but you can always ask.  If you can't find dry (above 10% alcohol), try any riesling and see what you think.

Vegan Chili with Cilantro Brown Rice and Spinach with Lime Vinaigrette

 While I adore chili (my kids will attest to this), I find that as time goes on I'm interested in many different kinds of chili.  My mom made what I think of as "Irish chili" simmered with her made-every-summer home-canned tomatoes, onions, green pepper, and, I think, a little less meat than I'd wish for.  My mother-in-law tells a similar story:  her mom bought a pound of ground beef and used 1/3 for chili, 1/3 third for spaghetti, and I forget what the other 1/3 was for.  That's skinny chili.  Still, it was tasty, filling, easy, homey and did the trick for a big family.  I, for years, made a similar sort of pot and was never happier than when the spicy smells wafted through the house.  I felt rich.  A whole dinner (with extras) in one pot.

Then SILVER PALATE came along and I made that chili .  Later, living in Texas for nearly four years pushed me toward

If you know beans about chili, you know there's no beans in chili.

Last spring, I tested an incredible Texas-style chili  (make your own chili powder) for Cooks' Illustrated and, while I liked that, too (Dave adored it), I thought it totally lost its flavor the next day.  And what good is chili if it's no good the next day?  If I go to make chili without thinking about it, I guess that by now it's a hybrid of some sort---probably closer to SILVER PALATE.  Some of that is in this chili (Dijon mustard, citrus, vinegar) if you compare the recipes. 

But the recent move toward more vegetables in my life got me thinking about veggie, in fact, vegan chili.  I think I've eaten it somewhere, but I didn't know how it was made.  To make myself smart and inventive, I did not look up a recipe; I just chopped and cooked, looking for an easy version.  I made it two slightly different ways and ended up combining the ideas, though serving it with cilantroed (definitely not a word) brown rice and a limed spinach salad stuck in the final roundup. 

Hearty, inexpensive (hey, no meat), quick (hey, no meat) and healthy, this is a filling, warm weekend lunch or dinner that really works if you've brought home a friend who's a vegan.  While it makes a little bit (limited by can sizes here), it's great for a couple of days in the frig and you can freeze it for a month or so.  I had a friend for lunch today to try it out and neither of us missed the meat; we were stuffed.   Who do you know who's vegan?

 Vegan Chili with Cilantro Brown Rice and Spinach with Lime Vinaigrette  4-6 servings

1 cup brown rice
2  cups water
Pinch salt; several grinds of pepper
A splash of olive oil
1/2 c chopped cilantro, reserved for later

Bring water  to a boil in a 2 or 3 qt. saucepan.  Add other ingredients; stir.  Lower heat, cover, and cook at a medium simmer for 45-55 minutes.  Test for doneness and leave covered to stay warm while you cook the chili.  (You can cook the rice while you cook the chili, of course.)  You'll add the cilantro at serving time.

1 T olive oil (no need for extra virgin)
3 t chili powder, divided
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided

In a small stockpot (4 qt), heat oil.  Add  1 tsp of the chili powder and black pepper. Let cook a minute or two.
 
1 medium onion, chopped
1T finely minced jalapeno pepper
3 stalks celery, minced 

Add onion, jalapeno and celery to the seasoned hot oil and saute 4-5 minutes, stirring often.

2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 ea red and yellow sweet peppers, coarsely chopped
1 each small zucchini and yellow squash, cut into 1" pieces

Add garlic, peppers and squashes to the onion mixture and stir well.  Cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring once or twice, lowering heat if it starts to burn.

 1 15 oz can chopped tomatoes,
1/2 cup each:  water, red wine (or 1 cup of either)
1/2 t cumin
1t each oregano and basil, dried
Big sprinkle of cinnamon (I like Vietnamese)
1/4 t kosher salt
1 t Dijon-style mustard
1 can of no-salt pinto (or black) beans, drained
3-4 drops Tabasco (or to taste)
2 t red or white wine vinegar

Stir in tomatoes, wine, water, spices, the other two teaspoons of chili powder, mustard and beans.  Carefully shake in Tabasco.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer.   Let cook fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally, adding water or wine if the chili becomes too thick or sticks.  Add vinegar.  Taste and adjust seasonings.

4 oz button mushrooms, optional
1 t butter, optional
  If you like them, in a small skillet, saute mushrooms five minutes or so in the butter.  Add to the chili.

6 cups fresh spinach
1 lime, sliced
1 T extra virgin olive oil
3 green onions (scallions), sliced thinly (white and green)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup tortilla chips

In each of 4-6 shallow bowls or plates, place a cup- or a little more-of spinach.  Squeeze the lime over each salad and drizzle with a bit of extra virgin olive oil. Dust salad with salt and pepper.  Add 1/2 cup rice next to the spinach.  Garnish rice with cilantro.   Next to the rice, ladle in the chili.  Sprinkle sliced green onions over all and place a slice of lime in each bowl.  Garnish with a few tortilla chips.

Note:  For South Beach, skip chips and rice!

Sounds more complicated than it is.  What a meal.

Wine?  Jury's out.  Some say a fruity zinfandel; one friend insists Champagne.  I'm thinking beer.

  Have fun cooking and taking care of yourself,
Alyce 

I'll Take the Beef Stew, Please

I cook my rice with bay leaf and pepper. I add a bit of fresh parsley, salt, and sometimes butter at the end.

On diner menus-- or even Crack Barrel menus--meals like chicken and dumplings, meat loaf, or beef stew are always favorites.  Even if they know the food won't taste like their grandmother's, people order it anyway.  Chicken and biscuits.  Ham and beans.  Homey comfort food that has its roots in what could be made out of local (as in back yard) ingredients and could fill up a bunch of hungry folks.  These meals were typically stretchable, meaning a little meat with a lot of vegetables or starch.  Even when the children of these I-can-feed-anyone-with-anything cooks left down on the farm, they took the favorite meals with them.  Which is why we have boeuf bourguignon in Paris, bangers and mash in London, ham hocks and sauerkraut (or corned beef and cabbage) in St. Paul and chicken and dumplings Memphis.  And so on.  Of course, with our transient world (and a great movie called "Julie and Julia"), we also have an American version of boeuf bourguignon in Minnesota.

Since these foods were casseroles or huge pots of food, it isn't easy to cut them down to one portion. (Though in some cases it is possible.)  But we don't have to make ten or twelve servings and die of boredom for two weeks.  We can make four servings.  If we're hungry, we might eat two servings at one sitting.  We share or freeze the other good-sized portion(s).  (Or just eat it for lunch.)

Making rice a la pasta.  Lots of water and drain the rice at the end.  Easy.

 I make beef stew in several ways and, while they all have something in common, they're each quite different.  The first involves cutting up meat, browning it, adding vegetables, broth/wine and seasonings, and letting it cook a couple of hours.   The second, the one my children know best, uses leftover pot roast, gravy, and vegetables (adding broth) for a second day (and some say better) replay.  A third is a typical boeuf bourguignon a la Julia, adding separately cooked pearl onions and mushrooms at the end.  Yet another is the following...where I throw in other root vegetables  sitting around the kitchen and add a scoop of rice or noodles to round out the meal the second day--or the first, if you like it that way.  See above photo.  Brown food:  it just doesn't photograph well.  Sorry.


 Solo Cook's Note:  In the interest of saving money, many people skip the butcher counter experience and opt for pre-packaged or frozen meat.   For solo cooks, there is no place better than the butcher counter.  You can buy one 6oz steak, 1/4 # hamburger, two boneless chicken thighs, 2 polish sausage, 1 4 oz salmon filet, please---and so on.  You can also buy 1-2# of pot roast, which is what you want for beef stew.  Unless you're having company or want to eat it for a week.  Cooked potatoes aren't great in the freezer, so eat this up unless you have no choice but to freeze some.
 
Beef Stew with Root Vegetables and Rice on the Side Later 4 - 5 servings

1T olive oil
1-2 lbs pot roast, cut up into 1" pieces
3 cups beef broth, unsalted or low-sodium (or 2 cups broth, 1 cup red wine)
1 tsp dried thyme, 1/2 bay leaf
1 onion, cut into 1 " pieces, divided
2 carrots, cut into 1" pieces, divided
2 stalks celery, cut into 1/2" pieces, divided
1 parsnip, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
1 small turnip, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
1 potato, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
 optional:  1 tsp flour and 1/4 cup water whisked together well**

1. Pre-heat oven to 350*
2. In your  4 qt pot (oven-safe, if possible),  heat the olive oil and place the pieces of pot roast into the oil to brown well.  Turn meat over and brown thoroughly on the other side.  At the same time, add a bit each of the onion, carrots and celery to flavor the meat.  Sprinkle with lightly with salt, but pepper generously.  Add a pinch each of thyme and bay.
3. Add broth/wine and bring to a boil. Immediately lower heat, cover, and place in oven to cook for an hour or so.  (*Alternately, cook on stove top, covered, at a simmer.)
4. Remove from oven and add  remaining vegetables and herbs.  Stir well and return to oven (or stove top) to cook another 30-50 minutes, covered, until meat and vegetables are tender.  
5. Taste and adjust seasonings.    Ladle into large bowls (with rice at side, if desired or on second day) and serve with baguette (French bread).  A little salad would be nice, too.

**If you'd like a thicker stew, whisk together well the flour and water.  Add that mixture to the stew when you add the broth/wine.  You could also use some of the starchy water from the rice for a thickener.

Note:  For South Beach Option, skip potatoes.

Wine:  If you'd like wine with this, an Oregon Pinot Noir or an inexpensive (yes, they exist) French Burgundy would be best.  Ask your wine shop about some good values.  They do exist.  Good French Burgundies are out of most people's range; a French Cotes du Rhone might be a good substitution if you're bent on a French wine and there are no burgundies you can afford.  Cotes du Rhone is also a lovely cooking wine.
I know it's spring and spring foods are coming, but there are still a few cold days left for a warming stew. 

Have fun cooking and taking care of yourself,
Alyce

Green Bean Salad 2011 or Haricots verts avec fenouil, citron et champignons

My Current Bean Salad- Just for One

 Even today I wrinkle my whole face (not just my nose) at the words "bean salad."  I don't care what kind of bean salad it is or was.  I just have this awful smell of canned yellow wax beans mixed with canned red kidney beans, green beans and bottled Italian dressing in my nostrils.  "Ach" isn't a bad enough sound. Clench teeth; hiss out through the sides.  Pee Yew.  What a snot, huh?

Once, when we were newlyweds (or close), we moved into a neighborhood where the neighbors had a welcoming potluck for us.  Sweet.  Nice people, great neighborhood.  Except that when I asked what I could bring, the person organizing the meal said, "Oh, why don't you bring bean salad."  Now I may have only been 22, but I already hated bean salad and so replied in a stinky-sweet whine, "I don't know how to make that; could I bring potato salad?"  No way, she instructed me about how to make bean salad.   Said it was high time I learned how to make it.

Today, I would have pointed my finger down my throat (figuratively), and I sure as heck would not have brought bean salad.  In those "young wife" days, I did as I was told and gagged attractively through the making of it.   Chopped my onions and green peppers and mixed it up with Wishbone.  Yuck.

 2009 Bean Salad from 6-7-09 More Time at the Table post

 These days I make LOVELY green bean salads--several of them.  Interesting salads are a trademark (I think) of interesting restaurants or cooks.  While you and I adore green salads, isn't it cool when there's something very different?  Here's one you make yourself, putting your skills up there with a fine vegetable or salad chef.  This would also wow your friends at a dinner party where it might serve as a first course or third, a la francaise.  Did I mention what a healthy meal this is?  ( A serving of green beans contain over a quarter of the amount of vitamin C you need daily.  Move over orange juice.)  Stir in a bit of seasoned, dressed brown rice (use the same dressing) for a larger meal or to fill up your vegan boyfriend.  (Skip the Parm for him.)

Black-Eyed Pea Soup with Yellow Pepper Salsa and Coffee Cup Cornbread

An hour's time... a small pot of soup just for you

Your Coffee Cup Cornbread

 One of the things people (solo cooks or other cooks) often say to me is, "I just never know what to cook."  Sometimes this is an excellent cook talking and other times it's someone who seldom wields a spatula except to shake it at fools or make a grilled cheese.

To know what you want to cook isn't as important as just going ahead and cooking.  People who cook daily don't always know what they want.  They peer inside the frig or freezer and bang the cabinets a few times, wondering what's to eat.  Or they jump in the car and run to the store, only to wander around aimlessly until something strikes them.  Everyone does this...experts and beginners.    More important is to have a head-start on the process

• by maintaining a pantry of some sort
• by making a habit of shopping a couple of times a week for fresh food and specials
• spending some time thinking about what you'd like to cook and what you're willing to cook (often two very different things)
• having access to recipes or cookbooks

This means you will have already made a time and financial commitment to feeding yourself well, which is an effort well worth the time.  If you can't think of something that looks worthy of the Food Network or your favorite expensive restaurant, then that's exactly how it should be.  We all can't eat like that every day (nor should we) and what's cool is that you jump in and make something.  Anything.  Something like:

Corncakes...using the recipe for cornbread on the cornmeal container.  Why not?

• Huevos rancheros (Fry up eggs and put them on tortillas with salsa and some shredded lettuce, tomatoes, beans and cheese...)
• Broccoli salad (Just like at Whole Foods...broccoli, mayo, nuts, raisins...maybe a little soy sauce or curry)
• Fried rice (Last night's Chinese take-out rice leftover..cook some eggs and push them to the side, then add chopped garlic, celery and carrots (cook 'til tender), throw in  the cooked rice and soy sauce or stir fry sauce, let it cook a couple of minutes more and--top with chopped green onions if you have any.)
• Black Bean Soup (Saute onions and garlic, add drained black beans, toss in a sprinkle of cumin, a couple of cups chicken stock, salsa and hot sauce.  Top with sour cream if it's in the frig.)
• Turkey burgers (You  made patties and froze Italian-seasoned Jennie-O; you also keep frozen whole wheat bun or wraps in the freezer.  Some sliced tomatoes finish the meal.)
• Omelet and whole wheat toast (Made with the cheese that's starting to mold and the cold asparagus you cooked the other day and didn't finish.)
• Fried corncakes served up with the chili you brought home from Wendy's. (Follow the directions on the cornmeal canister, add chopped onion  and fry up big spoonfuls in butter or olive oil.  After one side is golden, turn and cook the other side.)

An Omelet and a Glass of Wine

..is a fine book by famed writer, Elizabeth David.  I wish I'd coined the phrase, but, alas, I just eat the meal regularly.  Add sauteed spinach, a piece of whole-grain toast (I often skip this or have half) and you have a meal.  (Photos below.) This particular omelet is a cheese one, but you can make whatever kind of omelet you like.  I'll give some tips about that at the bottom under "Solo Cook's Notes."  If you'd like to see another, more classic omelet prep, watch this Julia Child video et voila!

Or watch Jacques Pepin make an omelet here.   Choose your method!

A great Judith Jones omelet post, with lots of pics from her kitchen, is here.

No, I'm not pedaling books, but I've read Elizabeth David (and others-- Jacques Pepin or MFK Fisher for example) for years.   If you like yummy prose as well as yummy food, try books by  these writers who knew from words and knew from food. 

My Little Omelet Info and Primer:
Omelets are  notorious for using up leftovers...that bit of broccoli left from last night, that last tablespoon of chopped onion or green pepper, that bit of hard cheese you didn't wrap well.  Here are a few tips:

• Best quality cage-free eggs.  (or from a local farmer)
• Don't overbeat your eggs.  30 whips with a big whisk is plenty for two eggs. 
• Buy a heavy-duty, 8", nonstick pan (or stainless steel if you like that) and you'll have it for a long time.  I like Scanpan for more expensive pans and Pampered Chef for a good cheapie. 
• Don't be afraid to crank that heat up a little to really get the butter really hot.  But don't dare walk away either.  Turn off your cell phone.
• You must have everything you need ready before you heat the pan, because after that, your eyes and your hands must attend the omelet.  Set table and get your drink first.
• Do not make an omelet without butter unless you are allergic to it, are vegan or have a health problem that requires you to use oil.  Omelets are made with butter period. 
• As the eggs begin to cook, gently stir them to allow uncooked eggs into the bottom of the hot pan.
• If you want to cook more than one omelet, heat the oven to 200 and let one omelet rest there while you cook the other.   Move on to a frittata if you have several people.
• Be brave, cook your omelet and enjoy it!  However it turns out, you'll eat it and be glad. 
• Note: For South Beach Option, skip toast

Omelets are great for solo cooks.