Food In Many Forms

One of our last purchases from Costco in preparation for our self-isolation was Greek yogurt. We were able to get the low sugar Chobani for less than $1/ container. The low sugar variety is especially delicious in combination with Bear Naked Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Granola . But our supply of granola is running low, so I tried my hand at making my own. If the homemade version is actually healthier, I would make it more often! According to their website, 1/2 cup of the store bought version has about 300 calories, and 17 g of fat. The original recipe made 5 cups, suggesting 1/10 of my new recipe would be about 1/2 cup. In actuality, this new recipe has even more calories and fat - 400 calories and 19 g fat per 1/2 cup. INGREDIENTS 3 cups Trader Joe's quick cook steel cut oats 1 cup sliced almonds (or any nut) 1/2 cup chopped pecans 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 cup Nutella 1/4 cup pure maple syrup (or honey) 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup semi-swe...

We have been stocking up in case we have to quarantine for weeks. Last Friday, I told my boyfriend I would stop by Haymarket and the grocery store after work to pick up a few more things. When I came home, I found that I had brought soft corn tortillas, he bought hard taco shells. I bought a crispy french baguette, he bought a loaf of everything bread. I bought 5 lbs of carrots, he bought baby carrots. I tucked the 5 lbs of carrots away in the back of the fridge, hoping they would stay good for a while. And a week later, there is not a can of soup to be found on the shelves, so I am making my own carrot ginger soup in case we end up sick in bed pretty soon. Ingredients 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 2 cup chopped yellow onions 8 garlic cloves, smashed 4 heaping cups chopped carrots 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger 4 tablespoons white wine 4 cups vegetable broth Sea salt and fresh black pepper 1 teaspoon maple syrup, or to taste (optional) coconut milk for garni...

The coronavirus is becoming more and more real every day. People are starting to practice "social distancing", and we have accepted that we probably shouldn't go out in crowds anymore. So instead of going to our friend's party tomorrow and watching Boston's St. Patrick's day parade. We will be sharing brunch with an intimate group tomorrow morning. I volunteered to make quiche, because it is the easiest way to consume eggs with a crowd, and I can at least make sure there are vegetables involved. I originally wanted to do a red onion & gruyere combo, which I still think would be good. But I had a block of Manchego already in the house, so I added red peppers to go with the more Spanish vibe. I normally don't shy away from whole eggs, but I had egg whites already, so I figured I would stretch my small egg supply. INGREDIENTS 1/2 red onion 1/2 red bell pepper 1/2 cup shaved Manchego cheese 3 cloves garlic 3/4 cup unflavored soy milk 2 eggs, ...

Last week in our rush to get stocked up for the quarantine, we stocked up on protein, but chicken was hard to come by. Normally, I would frown on eating such large quantities of red meat. But the stores have absolutely no chicken right now, so we have beef short rib and rack of lamb instead. I will eat them because it is what I have available, but it doesn't mean I can't also load up on vegetables and whole grains! Ingredients 1 lb beef short rib 1/2 cup chopped onion 2 Tbsp honey 2 Tbsp soy sauce 1 Tbsp sesame oil 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, chopped 4 cloves garlic, halved 1 cup shaved carrots 1 cup finely shredded red cabbage 1/2 cup coarsely shredded cucumber 1/4 cup snipped fresh cilantro Directions 1. Trim fat from meat. Place meat in a resealable plastic bag set in a shallow dish. For marinade, in a blender or food processor combine onion, honey, water, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger and garlic. Cover and blend or process until smooth. Pour marinade over meat. ...

From the archives... originally written in 2018... The last time I mentioned this quiche was back in 2011. But, I have definitely used this recipe over and over again. Short on time and need to make lunch for the week? Make a quiche! Want to bring food to a friend with a new baby and cook for yourself too? Make two quiches! In the past month or so, I have been experimenting with the ratio of eggs to milk, as well as using milk alternatives, such as soymilk. Ultimately, I like the recipe as it is. The soymilk made the quiche inflate in the oven more than normal, and it collapsed once it came out. It was "original" (i.e. not vanilla) soymilk, but it still had some sweetness to it and it was a little weird the first day. For some reason, the sweetness had dissipated on Days 2 & 3, which made it more palatable. Although it seems like a lot of milk to add, the texture was very much impacted by using less. So, this is one recipe, I do recommend you follow pretty closely. ...

It's early March, and at work we are just starting to think about what we are going to planting in the garden. Meanwhile, I've been enjoying the last few weeks of winter vegetables - roasted sweet potatoes, onions and garlic galore, and now Brussels sprouts. While dinner was baking in the oven today, I was prepping this sprout-gnocchi combo for lunch tomorrow. I let it cool, packed it up, and threw the vinaigrette in an empty jar for tomorrow. Ingredients 2 Meyer lemons 1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered 1 (12 ounce) package  refrigerated gnocchi 1/2 medium onion, sliced 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided ½ teaspoon ground pepper, divided ¼ teaspoon salt, divided ¼ cup slivered oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes Directions 1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 2. Slice and seed 1 lemon. Toss in a large bowl with Brussels sprouts, gnocchi, 2 Tablespoons oil, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1/8 teaspoon salt. Transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet. ...

A few weeks ago, I discovered this amazing produce market in Watertown. I don't think I've ever been to a proper market that was over 50% just fresh produce. It was the sort of the place that if you wanted some exotic vegetable and didn't know where to get it, you always knew you could go there. I was excited to be there, but also was trying to not go overboard. So, when I saw some good-looking snow peas, I picked out a few, but not too many. I figured they would just end up in a stir-fry or something. But a few days later, they still had not been cooked, and I found this recipe from chowhound that was well-suited to what I had on hand. My boyfriend's only complaint? I didn't make enough. It looks like I'll have a chance to make it for him again since snow peas are just coming into season. Ingredients 1/8 cup soy sauce 1 tablespoons red wine 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar 1 teaspoons cornstarch 1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar 1/4 teaspoon red pepper f...