My journey of cooking, gardening, preserving and more
Have I mentioned how much I love eggs? Probably. And, rest assured, my cholesterol levels are spectacular. Mix them with some gorgeous vegetables, especially from your garden, a bit of cream and a touch of cheese and hello easy meal. Not only is this a …
Warning: weird vegetable alert. In case you didn’t know it, you can eat the unfurled fronds of an ostrich fern. Yes, you heard that right. You can not only eat them but, if you’re like me, you can enjoy them immensely. Fiddleheads are, at least …
We had a week or so of nice 50+ degree weather though and we even grilled out a couple of times, so I know these latest flurries won’t stick around long.
Thinking spring thoughts, I was excited to see a display of gorgeous papayas on my last trip to the grocery store. As the weather starts to warm up, I’m always looking for delicious ways to amp up the flavor in my green salads so that they don’t get boring. This is an easy, nutritious, delicious salad dressing that I quickly threw together in my blender. Papaya seeds are high in protein and a good source of calcium and magnesium. You may not suspect it but their flavor is similar to black pepper and they add a definite kick to this dressing.
Salad dressings are so easy to make at home and if you’re trying to stay away from processed foods, dressings are a good way to start. Most store-bought dressings are loaded with junk – read the labels and you might be surprised at everything that’s in them.
Place everything except olive oil in a blender and blend on high speed for a couple of minutes. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil until everything is well blended.
You can certainly play around with this recipe quite a bit. If you don’t have ground mustard, add a bit of dijon. If you don’t have rice vinegar, try champagne or tarragon vinegar. If you want some extra color, add some chopped chives or scallions. Use raw honey instead of agave nectar. Add a bit of garlic to the mix. Never be afraid to play with your food.
Oh, and how to tell if a papaya is ripe? Ideally, buy them at the store while they’re still partially green. Let ripen at home for a few days and then enjoy! The skin of the papaya will turn yellow as it ripens and has a little bit of give when you touch it. You don’t want it overripe, so don’t let it get too soft.
Keep thinking spring and enjoy!
It’s been a long time since I looked up a lobster bisque recipe because I’ve always made it (and shrimp bisque) the same way. So what I discovered is that I’ve (apparently) been making it wrong all these years. Every recipe I came across called …
This holiday season was my first attempt at making peanut butter dog treats for Buster, our dog. I’ve made sweet potato dog treats for him in the past but then found out that the natural sugar in sweet potatoes was contributing to a yeast issue …
I recently posted one of the newest eggplant recipes I’ve created, which is Eggplant Bianca, but this recipe here is a classic. Though there a certainly a ton of baba ghanoush recipes out there, I thought I’d share with you how I make it and just how easy it is.
Fire-roasting the eggplant gives this appetizer a wonderful, smoky flavor that’s hard to resist, even for people who don’t typically like eggplant. You can do this process on a gas stove or in the oven, which I’ve done, but I’ll warn you that the stovetop method is a bit messy. A grill makes much easier and cleaner work of this.
As with most of my recipes, measurements are approximate.
If you want to use the stovetop method, using a pair of long tongs, carefully char the eggplant all the way around above a gas burner, making sure the eggplant is completely softened. To roast in the oven, place eggplant on a pan and roast at 425, turning occasionally, until fully charred and softened.
Some people like to remove the seeds from the eggplant when making this, but I don’t bother. Also, this is definitely better hand-mashed than pureed in a food processor or blender; you want it to have some texture.
Baba Ganoush is best served immediately, while still a bit warm or at room temp. If making it ahead, bring to room temperature before serving.
Enjoy!
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I admit that I’ve put off posting this fermentation recipe for quite some time. Not because it’s difficult or time-consuming because it’s neither, but because I’m absolutely terrible at photographing the process from beginning to end. (though I didn’t do too badly in showing you …