cremini mushroom & collard green whole wheat galettes

Note: This post was previously published here as a part of my freelance work.

Pie crust is one thing many cooks strive to perfect in their lifetimes. It’s finicky and temperamental, but when you get it right, that flaky melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness makes it all worthwhile. Add in the desire to make it wheat, and you throw a whole new curve ball into the game. 

Here, I adapted a galette crust from the folks at Tartine, and filled it with delicious local cremini mushrooms, collard greens, leeks, tarragon, and horseradish quark. I love the Tartine books, but I will admit that they are not for beginners. Their methods get so precise, and often a little tool pretentious. Ultimately, they do know what they’re talking about though, and even if you don’t get each step precisely as they describe it, you still end up with something that’s pretty darn good. 

The meaty mushroom filling in these particular galettes sings tastefully against the nuttier whole wheat crust. Folded up into individual portions, they make a beautiful treat for guests. Serve them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and they will make sense. Deep into fall and heading into winter, they are a nice hearty treat.

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1 lb. unsalted butter

1 cup water

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

For the Egg Wash:

2 egg yolks

2 tbs half & half cream

For the Filling:

1 lb. cremini mushrooms, sliced

2 1/2 cups chopped collard greens

2 large leeks

2 lg garlic cloves, sliced thick

1/2 cup water

2 tbs chopped tarragon

2 tbs champagne vinegar

3 tbs horseradish quark

3 tbs coconut oil

salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

For the Dough:

1. Slice butter into one inch cubes, dissolve salt in water, and stick everything into the freezer to chill for 10 minutes. Keep the water and the butter in separate dishes.

2. On a clean working surface, portion out your flours and mound them up into a square, about 1/3 inch thick. Don’t worry about throughly mixing the flours. It will inevitably happen once you get working.

3. Lay butter cubes evenly on top of the square, and sprinkle with some more flour. Using a floured rolling pin, begin to roll the butter until it warms up enough to make long little sheets. As you do this, intermittently scrape up the sides of your square to return it to the size you first began with. Repeat rolling and reshaping the square 3 or 4 times.

4. Now, make a whole in the middle of the dough, and fill it with the chilled salt water. Using a bench scraper, knife, or pastry blender, scrape the edges of the square into the center, cutting and mixing the water into the dough. It will start to look like a shaggy mess.

5. Shape the dough back into a square, and roll it out, so that it’s roughly 10 x 14 inches. Sprinkle with flour, fold in on itself, and re-roll 3 or 4 times.

6. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for at least one hour. I chilled mine overnight.

7. When you are ready to roll out the dough, cut it into 12 even squares. Flour your surface and roll each square into a circle that is about 1/8 inch thick. Trim edges to make it round when necessary. 

8. As you finish the circles, fold them into quarters, and set them aside on a lightly floured surface. Stick everything back into the fridge for at least 10 minutes of chilling once all are rolled out.

For the Egg Wash:

1. Whisk ingredients together & set aside.

For the Filling:

1. Cut leeks in half length-wise, turn, and continue to cut into 1/4 inch strips along the short direction.

2. Heat coconut oil in a large pot, and add leeks.

3. Once the leeks begin to sweat, add garlic and tarragon, then sauté for about 1 minute.

4. Add collard greens. Stir around for 1 minute, and then add water, keeping the heat high. Let steam for about 10 minutes

5. Add in the sliced mushrooms. Cook for another 10-15 minutes, until most of the liquid is cooked out.

6. Add vinegar, and cook for 1 more minute, then kill the heat, season, and let chill.

Assembly:

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. On a lightly floured surface, lay down your first circle of galette crust. Pile on filling, so that you have a 1 inch perimeter of crust, and so that it piles roughly 1/2 inch high.

3. Sprinkle with horseradish quark.

4. Fold the dough up around the edges, pressing it down to make sure that no liquid will escape.

5. Repeat until you’ve filled all of your galettes, You will probably have left over crust. This can be frozen and used at a later date.

6. Give your egg wash one last whisk, and then paint it overtop each galette, covering the crusts evenly.

7. Bake for 45-60 minutes, until lightly browned.

8. Serve warm.

acorn squash and brown rice with pomegranate, pistachio, and kale

Note: This post was previously published here as a part of my freelance work.

In fall we welcome comfort. Cooked soothing foods fill our stomachs with happiness and warmth on a crisp day. Acorn squash and spices like cinnamon evoke memories of a time when things were simpler, when all our cares drifted on a breeze with autumn’s falling leaves. This, is a dish to take you there.

Warm acorn squash mixed with fresh local yogurt provides a creamy earthy balance to this dish’s modern additions: pistachio, pomegranate, and kale. Seasoned with cinnamon and ginger, the spice-derived flavor allows it to be a healthy kickstart for your new season. No butter, no cheese, no large amounts of fat needed. Now how is that for comfort food?

Ingredients:

1 acorn squash

1 cup long grain brown rice

2.5-3 cups water

1 small white onion, chopped small

2 cups chopped kale

1 bouillon cube

1 cinnamon stick

1/2 inch peeled ginger

1/2 cup yogurt

1 lg. garlic clove, chopped into large pieces

1 pomegranate

1/2 cup shelled pistachios

1 tbs rice vinegar

olive oil for sautéing

salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cut your squash in half, gut out the seeds, and set to roast. You can either roast it at 350F for approx. one hour, or if you’d rather set it and forget it, bake the squash at 200F for 3-4 hours. Remove and let cool.

2. In a small stock pot, sauté onions in olive oil. Once slightly see-through, add rice, and stir it around for a minute. Add 2 cups water, kale, bouillon cube, cinnamon stick, ginger, and garlic. Stir thoroughly, cover, and let cook.

3. In the meantime, gut out your squash and mix together with yogurt. I used Pequa Valley, a delicious local yogurt sold at Greensgrow. Cut open your pomegranate and remove seeds from the white flesh innards of the fruit. Set seeds aside.

4. As the rice cooks down, continue adding water until the grains become fully cooked. Once it is finished, let sit for 5-10 minutes.

5. Stir in squash, pomegranate seeds, pistachio, and vinegar, along with salt and pepper to taste. Let cool a bit more before serving to deliver fullest flavor.

paleo squash & seafood bisque

Like everyone else, I've been eating healthier in the New Year. This is one of my many recipe creations in the venture to do so. It is a spin on seafood bisque with squash-based broth and no dairy. The seafood dresses it up, and adds healthy protein. Each bite feels like an indulgence. Things just shouldn't taste this good, and be this healthy.

Ingredients:

1 Onion

1 Large Garlic Clove

2 Acorn Squash

5 Cups Water

1 Tsp. Vegetable Bouillon or a Bouillon Cube

.4LB Scallops

10 Clams

16 Shrimp

2 Tsp Moroccan Seasoning

1 Tsp Tumeric

1 Tsp Chili Powder

1 Tsp Safron Threads

Ghee & Olive Oil for Sauteing

Salt & Pepper to Taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Slice the acorn squashes in half and lay them on a foil-lined baking sheet. Dress with a bit of oil, salt, and pepper. Roast until caramelized.

2. Remove squash from the oven. Once cooled, scoop out the innards and set aside.

3. Using hot olive oil, saute chopped onions and garlic in a large stock pot.After they are cooked through, add squash, water, and spices. Important, do not salt until the very end. Oysters add a lot of saltiness to a dish and you don't want to overdo it.

4. Using a hand blender, turn the squash and onions into a fine liquid. Let simmer.

5. In a separate saute pan, caramelize scallops and shrimp in ghee. Set them aside in a bowl when finished.

6. Toss oysters into the squash broth and cover the pot. The steam that is trapped with your lid will cook the oysters. Remove the lid once all have opened. After 5-7 minutes they should be done. 

7. Kill the flame and mix in scallops and shrimp.

8. Taste for seasoning and add as much salt/pepper as is needed.

9. Serve!

salmon wild rice

Easter Sunday rolled around. I am not a Christian, but I wanted to make something nice. After all, it was a holiday, it was Sunday, and I had the time and ambition to cook something good. To get started, I picked up salmon, peas, and chives at the grocery store. I paired it all with wild rice whose dark color would allow for the pinks and greens to pop. I treated it like a risotto, although not Arborio, and cooked the rice slowly with a stock. To make it creamy like risotto, but in a healthy way, just add in some almond milk and coconut oil at the end. Finally, everything gets a nice drizzle of lemon juice to brighten up the flavors. It's a healthy, tasty, and let's face it, beautiful!, spring-time dish.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Wild Rice

2 Cups Water

12 oz Salmon

1 Cup Frozen Peas

1 Vegetable Bouillon Cube

2.5 Tbsp Chives, chopped

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

3/4 Cup Almond Milk

1 Tbsp Coconut Oil

Juice from 1 Lemon

Directions:

1. Add your wild rice, water, and vegetable bouillon cube to a pot and bring to a boil.

2. Reduce heat and let the rice cook down. 

3. Once almost all of the water has evaporated, add a spoonful more. Do this three times or so. On the last time, add almond milk and peas, then let everything finish cooking down.

4. Stir in chopped chives, minced garlic, and coconut oil, then set rice aside. 

5. Heat up oil in a skillet, and quick cook your salmon.

6. Tearing the salmon apart with a fork, stir it into your rice mixture. Squeeze lemon over it all and finish stirring.

adam's clam pasta

Alright, alright, this is not the healthiest recipe ever to appear on this blog, but sometimes you need food that is straight good for the soul, and that, it is. Clams, I did not know, are surprisingly easy to cook - and cheap! We spent $8 on a dozen, but felt like royalty slurping them down. The air of elegance is pleasantly deceiving when you go to take out the wallet. Paired with my favorite ancient grain pasta, Adam made a zesty, Marsala stewed tomato sauce to top it all off. If you're looking to impress guests, this is good one to whip out.

Ingredients (serves 2):

12 Top Neck Clams

1 Yellow Pepper, diced

1 Yellow Onion, sliced

3 Cloves Garlic, minced

8oz Tomato Sauce

1/2 Cup Marsala

1 Vegetable Bouillon Cube

1/2 Stick Butter

2 Thyme Sprigs

2 Tbsp Herb de Provence

1 Tbsp Red Pepper Flake

1 Tbsp White Pepper

Juice from 1 Lemon

1 Bag Ancient Grain Fusilli

Directions:

1. In a large sauce pan, saute onion, garlic, and yellow pepper. Deglaze with Marsala, and add 2 cups of water, bouillon cube and tomato sauce.

2. Once boiling, toss in clams, and cover pot. Cook until clams open up. Remove from pan once cooked.

3. Boil pasta until almost aldente. Strain, and then toss into your sauce and let the pasta cook the rest of the way.

4. Spoon pasta onto a plate and then place clams around the border to serve.

home roasted vegan tomato soup

Right now, in the depths of winter, there is nothing I love more than a bowl of hot soup. It's comforting and healthy all at the same time. I've made it a ritual to cook a giant pot of soup every Sunday during this time of year. What I do is freeze half, and then take the rest for lunches during the week. It's a great way to have easy, ready-to-eat meals around that aren't tv dinners. We all know how much I love chemically preserved resemblances of food.

Anywho, I made this guy the other day, and I have to say, I'm extremely proud of it. It tasted....orgasmic. I love creamed soups, but can't bring myself to ingest that amount of high fat dairy. So instead, I made a little experiment with some coconut milk, and it came out a vegan phenomen. There is something so satisfying about making something from scratch, and the added bonus points for making it vegan put me on cloud nine. This tomato soup is the ultimate comfort food, pair it with a piece of multigrain toast that has avocado smeared on top and your set. Your welcome. Enjoy.

Ingredients:

15 Medium Vine Tomatoes

2 Small Yellow Onions

1 Celery Stalk

7g Oregano

7g Basil

5 Sprigs Thyme

3 Garlic Cloves

1 Can Coconut Milk

1 Cup Orzo

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F

2. Cut tomatoes in half, and lay them out on a foil-lined cookie sheet that has been greased with a bit of olive oil.

3. Drizzle tomatoes with some more olive oil on top and then roast for about 20 minutes, until skins begin to shrivel and split.

4. While your tomatoes are roasting, finely chop your onion and celery keeping them separate  and then clean and chop the herbs. 

5. Once you take your tomatoes out of the oven, begin sauteing onions and whole garlic in a bit of olive oil over a low/medium flame.

6. Once your onions are completely see through, kill the flame, stir in herbs, and let sit.

7. Now you will want to peel the skins off of your tomatoes. Because you roasted them, they should come off very simply by just using your fingers. Be careful, they might still be a bit hot, but it's easiest to peel when they are.

8. Using a hand blender (or food processor if you don't have one) puree onion and garlic mixture.

9. Add in 2/3 of your tomatoes and coconut milk, and then puree until creamy.

10. Add the rest of your tomatoes, and then puree just a bit, so they are still a slightly chunky (if you like some chunk, if not, just add all of the tomatoes in step 9).

11. Put everything in a pot back on the stove over a low flame, and add orzo and celery.

12. Stirring constantly so that you don't get exploding soup, cook for another 15 minutes. 

13. Let sit until orzo is fully cooked, and then serve or let chill and freeze.

apricot and purple potato samosas with honey yogurt sauce

What's more fun than purple potatoes? Now really. Its like the natural equivalent to green ketchup: one of your favorite childhood foods in a fun color. They're plenty full of carotenoids which will help eliminate free radicals in your body, essentially detoxing the cells and keeping them pure. They're also crazy fun to cook with for the only reason being that they are so much fun to look at. 

So when I went home to cook my mom dinner, I threw these guys in there. I muddied them up with some fantastic Indian spices. Then I threw in some game changing apricots and walnuts, and rolled them in fillo dough.  To flash fry these little table footballs, I opted for healthy sesame oil, a favorite of Ayurvedic practitioners and ancient cultures of the west. To top them off, I paired the samosas with a  sweet yogurt dipping sauce, the easiest thing you'll ever make.Yum. Sweet, nutty, aromatic  and full of soft potato texture, these guys were a huge hit.

Samosa Ingredients (makes a dozen):

3 Purple potatoes, peeled, boiled, and mashed lightly with a fork

3/4 Cup Chopped Turkish Apricots

1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts

2 Tsp Indian Curry Powder

1/2 Tsp Tumeric

1 Tsp Cinnamon

1 Tsp Salt

1 Pkg Fillo Dough Sheets 

*be sure to remove dough from the freezer and place it on the counter at least an hour before you plan to use

Yogurt Sauce Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Greek Yogurt

1 Tbsp Honey

1/2 Tsp Marsala Seasoning

Directions:

1. Mix together all samosa ingredients except for the fillo dough. Make sure that your potatoes still have a little bit of chunk to them, and then let everything sit until room temperature.

2. Mix together dipping sauce ingredients, and let it chill in the fridge while you finish making the samosas. 

3. Unrolling your fillo dough and using a big knife, cut the end of your sheet into a 3"-4" strip.

4. Take a heaping tablespoon of your mixture, and form it into a little triangle. Place the triangle on the bottom left-hand corner of your fillo dough strip. Continue to roll it up like a table football.

5. Once you've rolled it up, do it once more so that the samosa has two layers of dough.

6. Once you've rolled all of your samosas, pour about a 1/2" of sesame oil into your frying pan, and let it get hot. 

7. Fry samosa's 1-2 minutes on each side, until lightly browned

8. Serve with sauce

winter mac with ancient grain pasta

I made this guy for a potluck with friends right before the holidays. I asked Liz if she had any requests, and the only thing she brought up was asparagus. So, asparagus it was! I had bought these little ancient grain elbow pasta made with quinoa, amaranth, and brown rice and planned to make a fancy mac n' cheese with them. There it was: mac n' cheese with asparagus, tomato, shallot, bechamel, mozzarella, and smoked Gouda - all topped with yummy panko crumbs and baked in the oven. 

I do want to talk about the pasta for a minute. We all know that sugary white carbs such as white bread and regular pasta are no bueno when it comes to a healthy lifestyle. I am an Italian girl though, and completely cutting out pasta is like a life without love. I've tried whole wheat, but found that it really only works well in spaghetti or linguini form. When it's used to make a denser pasta like orichette, fusilli, or elbows the texture is too tough and hard. So I've gotten to experimenting with the other options at Wholefoods, and these guys made with ancient grains are really good! 

What is an ancient grain you ask? Well, basically we're talking about the other grains besides wheat that have been around forever. This pasta is made with amaranth, quinoa, and brown rice, but other ancient grains would be types like millet, spelt, and kamut. They're packed with protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants, and are also great for those with wheat allergies or a gluten intolerance. With the mass production of wheat we forgot about these ancient grains for a while, but now that we're realizing that wheat might not be all it's cracked up to be, we're seeing a resurgence in their popularity. 

Beware, they do behave differently when cooking with them, however. If making bread or dough, they contain less or no gluten and will require a replacement binding agent. In products that are already made for you, like these pasta, you're good to go. Boil until cooked and rejoice in the "just like pasta" texture. 

 Ingredients (serves 5):

6oz. Ancient Grain Elbow Pasta

4oz. Fresh Mozzarella, broken up into chunks

1/4lb. Smoked Gouda, shredded

1 Cup Skim Milk

1 Cup Light Cream

1/3 Cup Flour

15 Asparagus Stems, chopped into medium sized pieces

20 Cherry Tomatoes, halved

4 Shallots, sliced

3 Small Garlic, minced

2 Tbsp Butter

3/4 Cup Seasoned Panko Crumbs

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Put your pasta on to boil and cook until they are still a little aldente

3. Melt butter down in a large saucepan, and then add shallots and asparagus to saute.

4. After 5 minutes add flour, skim milk, and light cream. Using a whisk, keep stirring.

5. Add garlic and tomatoes, then cook down until the milk and cream reach a thick bechamel consistency.

6. In a large bowl, mix pasta, cheeses, vegetable/bechamel mixture, and salt & pepper. Then transfer to a medium-sized casserole dish. 

7. Top mac n' cheese with panko crumbs, and then bake for about 20-25 minutes or until nicely browned on top.

down home crab and polenta stuffed catfish

One weeknight Adam and went to the grocery store looking for some dinner inspiration. We wandered around the Wholefoods produce section with zero bursts of genius, and then turned to the fish station where the brilliant idea hit me, "why don't we stuff something...with polenta!" And so this recipe was born. 

I can't tell you that it has any particular health benefit, besides the healthy omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, but it's tasty! Since we wanted to use polenta we decided to go the elevated down home route - we chose catfish as our base, and threw some crab, jalapeno, and hot sauce in there. The polenta mixed with crab renders a creamy filling without the use of any dairy product. It's filling without dense or fatty ingredients, and goes great paired with a simple vegetable. We threw ours over a kale and white bean salad, and it made a great weeknight dinner.

Ingredients (serves 2):

1Lb Catfish

1/2Lb Lump Crab

1 Cup Polenta

1 Jalapeno, seeded & chopped

1 Medium Shallot, chopped

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

1/2 Tsp Cayenne

1 Tsp Dry Mustard

2 Tsp Mesquite

1 Tsp Onion Powder

3 Tsp Salt

2 Tbsp Hot Sauce

1 Tbsp White Vinegar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. While making your polenta, throw in the jalapeno and shallot, and let the mixture cook down.

3. In a medium bowl, stir together crab, polenta, spices, hot sauce, and white vinegar.

4. First cut your catfish in half, to have two identical fillets. Turn the fillet towards you, and cut horizontally through the thick end to make a pocket for your filling.

5. Spoon the polenta and crab mixture into your pockets, filling generously.

6. Place the filled catfish on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and stick in the oven to bake.

7. After 20 minutes, remove from oven and place a pat of butter atop each fillet. this will caramelize and give a crispy texture to the outer layer of fish. 

8. Replace everything in the oven for another 5 minutes or until cooked.

potato salad with black radish and basil mayo

This recipe combines two recent fascinations of mine: flavored mayo and black radishes. You heard it right, black. These winter radishes are by far the most interesting vegetable I've come across in a while. Put one in your mouth, and you think it an ordinary radish. Until...it starts to turn spicy on you! A horseradish-y flavor kicks in at the end and it's such a fantastical surprise. If you life in a climate like the northeast, pick them up at your local farmer's market. In Philly, I got mine from one of my favorite farmers, Tom Culton, of Tom Culton Biologique. I've deemed him the "Willy Wonka" of vegetable farmers for the amazing creations he brings to market such as these guys.

What's more, I bet you never knew that radishes were great detoxifiers and cleansers! They're especially great at breaking up phlegm in the body. I've had a bit of a cold, and there's nothing like some radishes to help loosen things. In Chinese medine they're also used to promote digestion for this very reason. Another bonus, radishes are rich in water, so they're great at filling you up in a low cal way. 

By way of the mayo, I've been experimenting with fun flavors over the past year. Have you ever had a sandwich with chipotle mayo, or perhaps garlic? Amazing, right? This guy is a basil mayo, mmmm. Of course, there's a little guilt here, but the good news is that it has so much flavor that a little bit goes a long way. I've been messing around with some healthier, vegan options. So stay tuned until I get that guy perfected. Until then....

Basil Mayo Ingredients (Makes a mason jar-full to have on hand)

3/4 Cup lightly chopped basil

3 Medium garlic cloves, lightly roasted

1 Cup mayo

1 Tsp vinegar

1 1/2 Tsp salt

1/2 Tsp pepper

2 Tbsp pesto

Directions:

1. Place garlic and basil in a food processor and chop until fine

2. Add all other ingredients and mix until well blended

Potato Salad Ingredients:

1 Cups chopped fingerling potatoes

1 Black radish, quartered and sliced

3 Tbsp basil mayo

1 Tbsp white vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil

2 Celery stalks, chopped small

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F 

2. Spread potatoes out on a greased foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake until tender.

3. Mix potatoes, radish, celery, basil mayo, and white vinegar in a large bowl

4. Chill in the refrigerator over night and eat