Christmas Cookies 2014

Mexican Tea Cakes

Lime Meltaways

Pecan Shortbread

Gingerbread Blondies with White Chocolate

Espresso and Chocolate Mini Chip Cookies with Cassia Cinnamon

"Quattro Nut" Butter Biscotti

What To Do with a Pound of CARROTS!

Peel

Trim

Shower

Dry

Coarsely grate using a hand held grater

OR much faster, use the grating disk on your food processor

Crack 4 eggs into a bowl and beat lightly with a fork

Add carrots, fresh herbs & chick pea flour plus kosher salt, pepper & spices

Mix

Heat olive oil over medium high heat and drop 1/4 cupfuls of carrot batter into pan, flattening gently

Fry until golden brown and then flip

Drain on layered paper towels and sprinkle with a bit of kosher salt & cayenne while hot

Eat as you go

Serve with a light and lemony arugula salad or any of your favorite greens or fresh herbs

Carrot pancakes!  Easy, delicious, nutritious and just happen to be gluten-free for those of you curbing your gluten intake. I think I will be trying these with everything from cabbage to zucchini and I will be playing around with the spices the whole time. They’re kind of like potato pancakes and very delicious alongside some lemony greens. The chick pea flour adds a hint of falafel-ness (I know it's not a word) and makes me want to go Middle Eastern with the spices. Use this recipe as another KPK springboard and leap off with your own twists. This lovely recipe comes from Bon Appetit’. They suggest serving these little gems with salted yogurt. I’m sure that would be delicious. P.S. If you make them in advance, just reheat in a 350 degree oven for about 5-10 minutes to warm through.

Carrot Pancakes

1 lb. of carrots

4 eggs

1/3 cup of fresh cilantro or Italian parsley (handful)

1/4 cup of chick pea (garbanzo) flour

kosher salt & pepper to taste

freshly ground cumin, coriander & cayenne or any combination of your favorite spices

Olive oil, for frying

Follow the step-by-step KPK pictorial above and enjoy. The recipe makes 8 pancakes. Mark and I each ate 4.

Oh, btw, real men eat CARROT PANCAKES
(not just quiche)! LOL

      

If you would like to read about
 the vast nutritional benefits
 of carrots, click here.

Make sure your summer includes an abundance of colorful foods!

LOVE,

Katie

Roasted Green Beans

So, ok, you know I love to roast vegetables, right? OMG. PUHLEEEZ roast your green beans tonight. Crisp. Chewy. Addictive. Delicious! Here's how easy this is:

1) Wash, trim and dry a bunch of fresh green beans.
2) Toss onto a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil (a couple of tablespoons).
3) Sprinkle with kosher salt and toss around.
4) Pop into a 450 degree preheated oven for about 20 minutes.
5) Toss with tongs and return to the oven for another 15 minutes or until nicely caramelized in spots.
6) Switch oven setting to "convection roast" to speed the process for the last 10 minutes if possible.

Sprinkle with a little more kosher salt while piping hot (just like you would a bunch of french fries!). Since ovens vary, just pay attention and check your bean progress : ) . . . If it's taking a little longer to achieve the level of bean love we're looking for here, feel free to experiment and crank your heat to 475 degrees if you like.

Dig in. I can easily eat the whole batch, no prob.

Hope you're summer is delicious!

Love,

Katie

Spiced Fava Bean Soup

Speaking of being distracted, I can see the handle of the vacuum

 cleaner in the background of this photo. Hmmmmmm. Curious.

Want to showcase your spring fava beans in a deliciously spicy and flavorful soup? I thought you might. Bon Appetit’ magazine sends me DAILY recipes on purpose in order to derail my plans for the day, totally friggin’ distract me from what I’m supposed to be doing and, in general, simply FORCE me to try new recipes. All of the recipes are perfectly in tune with the season and the weather and always have something to do with food that you didn’t know you were craving and then all of a sudden, STOP EVERYTHING and let’s hang out in the kitchen! Your messy closet isn’t going anywhere. You can vacuum tomorrow. You don’t need a shower either! No worries, you sloppy dork. Just relax and cook. 

Charlie

So, largely because of Bon Appetit’ and their sneaky, mischievous ways, and partially from all of the other inspiration that keeps throwing me off course (I feel like Charlie on the walking trail when he simply cannot stop sniffing everything in sight)! - - - - because of all of that, this is what I’ve tried out in the last couple of days, what I plan to try and all of the other food paraphernalia, sugar plums and other visions dancing in my head:

Fresh Rhubarb & Strawberry Compote with Dried Tart Cherries (just throwin’ down with no recipe) . . . served with Honey Greek Yogurt (and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream - oops YES)

Asparagus & Pea Salad with Crispy Fried Shallots (slightly adapted from this: CLICK) ~ I made this without the favas and without the bacon. Still fab. 

Mark, nailing down his shelling technique

Spiced Fava Bean Soup (which I’m writing about below, but here’s the original recipe from Bon Appetit' if you like.

Spring Greens with Quick Pickled Vegetables (I’m going to try this when I finish writing here) - you can read about it here.

Crispy Fried Shallots (soaked in milk, then coated in seasoned flour) - (will try those when I finish writing here also).  Note: The shallots on the asparagus salad were simply fried naked. These will be a little more like “onion ring style”.

On to the soup. I adapted the recipe below to use fresh fava beans instead of dried fava beans. So, for one, they're FRESH and for two, it cuts down on the total cooking time. The bean flavor and texture are a bit different. Tru Dat. I also reduced the amount of olive oil and added cayenne pepper for a little extra heat. Either way . . . greatness. Here’s a KPK insider tip: Trader Joe’s carries frozen fava beans in 14 ounce bags!!!!! *No need to shell (even though it’s fun). So, with that in mind, you can throw this together in a snap anytime (if you happen to not have the time to embrace fresh favas while in season). I promise you, this is a DELICIOUS recipe either way. And . . . your house will be filled with the exquisite aromas of onions, garlic and exotic spices. 

*THIS JUST IN: TRADER JOE'S NO LONGER CARRIES FROZEN FAVA BEANS. SORRY :( - BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THIS SOUP IS DELICIOUS WITH EDAMAME WHICH YOU CAN BUY AT TJ'S AND EVERYWHERE . . . SHELLED, FROZEN & READY TO GO! MADE THIS WITH EDAMAME! PROTEIN BONUS . . . FABULOUS!

Spiced Fava Bean Soup

with Rice & Tomato

1 large or 2 medium onions, coarsely chopped

4 garlic gloves, finely chopped

1/4 cup of olive oil 

kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 teaspoons freshly ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground allspice

finely ground cayenne pepper to taste

14 ounces canned whole plum tomatoes, crushed by hand 

(half of a 28 ounce can with half of the juice)

8 cups (64 ounces) low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth

2 cups of shelled fresh fava beans OR

1 (14 ounce) package of frozen lava beans (if you can find them) OR
1 (12 ounce) package (or more) frozen shelled edamame (green soy beans) (Trader Joe’s & everywhere)

1/4 cup of whole grain brown rice

1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream

chopped, unsalted roasted pistachios for garnish (optional)

Here’s all you need to do:

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook until softened. Add the spices and cook another 5 minutes or so. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring often for another 5 minutes. Stir in the broth and bring to a boil. Add the beans and reduce heat to a simmer. Let simmer for about 10-15 minutes, partially covered. Add the rice, simmer and stir occasionally, partially covered, for about 30-45 minutes until the rice is perfectly cooked. Whole grain brown rice holds its firmness nicely and will be delicious. I think white rice cooks faster. Add whatever rice you like. It will be great! Be sure to taste-test for salt, pepper & cayenne. Adjust according to your taste buds. Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt, or, in Mark’s case, a dollop of sour cream. I opted for "sans nuts" because a) I didn’t have any pistachios in stock and b) I don’t know if I wasn’t feeling the pistachio love. Let me know if you try the pistachio garnish. Report back.

I will make this again and again and swap out the favas for other beans. It's a great basic soup. The spices are spot-on awesome and there’s just enough rice to give the soup heft. My most recent favorite canned tomato is La San Marzano brand (available at Mariano’s and other fine stores). They are sweet and amazing and not loaded with seeds as some other brands. I still love Dei Fratelli but I recommend that you try La San Marzano not to be confused with all of the San Marzano tomatoes on the market). Also, my close buds know that I recommend Swanson brand “Natural Goodness” 100% Fat Free, 33% Less Sodium Chicken Broth. Tastes clean and flavorful. Note: NOT the 99% Fat Free. The two taste completely different. Secrets revealed. Oh, and Morton kosher salt. AND . . . I do love grinding my own spices. It’ll save you some cash too : ). Buy an inexpensive coffee grinder and dedicate it to your spices. You’ll agree with me. I know you will.

ENJOY ALL OF THE INSPIRATION AROUND YOU, MY FRIENDS......….

SPRING LOVE,

Katie

Vibrant & Colorful Cauliflower Salad

The bright magenta areas on the deep purple cauliflower are brightened from the acidity in the lemon juice. Vinegar will have the same effect. Lovely.

Bring VIBRANT, amazing, PASSIONATE color to the Easter table this Sunday. I know I ramble about colorful food pretty incessantly, but, how can you not admire and marvel at the vivid and sumptuous beauty of what God has given us on this earth? Let me give you a few steps to an incredibly easy and gorgeous vegetable dish to serve to your family and friends. Very little “cooking” required! I’ll share in just a sec. 

I am usually assigned as the vegetable person for holiday gatherings, right? Joey is the protein guy (meat specialist). He also has taken over making “Auntie Rosie’s Fragun” (I taught him). (The fact that I needed to slip that in makes me a “Credit Head”).  Sharon & Louie always make a beautiful salad. Franki brings something special and different to every occasion. Teri usually hosts but for sure she is always in charge of potato salad for Easter Sunday. She makes kick-butt potato salad, exactly like my Mom’s. One Easter, Teri’s husband, Chuck, complimented me on how delicious my potato salad was. Something to the effect . . . “Wow, Katie, your potato salad is the best! You ALWAYS make great potato salad.” This is where Teri freaks out. Teri had spent HOURS the day before, slaving over 10 pounds of potatoes, onion & celery chopping, etc. etc., in Chuck’s presence, in their home kitchen, while actually having conversations with Chuck. LOL LOL LOL. So, of course, to this day, we always refer to the potato salad as “Katie’s Potato Salad”.

With busy lives and all kinds of demands, some years you bring stuff, some years, you’re lucky just to show up. LOL. Or in my case, you sometimes might show up with a beautiful basket of traditional Italian Easter breads after everyone has already left. Go ahead. Laugh. At my expense. Mom’s always happy to see me. Even if the party’s over. 

This year, Joe & Jules are hosting. Food will be in abundance. Everyone is pitching in and Joe has officially slipped into “Shopping Machine” mode. 

Now for the beauty of this easy and healthy dish. This is just a modification of my cauliflower salad recipe which I have named “Cavolfiore Insalata ala Fioretti”, aka Little Flower Cauliflower. (You can read the original recipe by clicking on the link). There are a few other pictures of cauliflower salads throughout KPK if you poke around a little more. 

Bella Cavolfiore (Beautiful Cauliflower)

One head of cauliflower*, steamed

One or two roasted red peppers

 (jarred is fine), cut into thin strips

2 cloves of fresh garlic, each cut in half

the juice of 1/2 fresh lemon

olive oil (about 1/4 cup)

fresh herbs, finely chopped (if you have them on hand)

kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

The ingredients shown above are the basics. 

In the pictured salad, I added some yellow cherry tomatoes, a few grape tomatoes, some thin slices of sweet onion and a few slices of seeded jalapeño. Add whatever you like. The parsley was amazingly fresh and was overnighted to my neighbor, Lucia, from her Texan son’s backyard Italian garden! Oh, also, feel free to serve on lettuce leaves if you like!

*Cauliflower comes in amazing varieties! Purple, golden yellow, white, of course, and gorgeous green broccoflower.

Trim the base from the cauliflower, keeping it whole. Place whole head in a steamer basket. Place in pot. Cover and allow to steam over boiling/simmering water until tender enough to pierce with a fork. Alternatively, simply place whole head of cauliflower in a pot with lightly salted water (about 1” deep). Cover, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Cook until desired tenderness. It doesn’t take long. While you're steaming the cauliflower, cut the peppers into thin strips. Place them in a bowl with the garlic and squeeze in the fresh lemon juice. Add the olive oil, herbs, salt & pepper. Add any additional vegetables you like at this time (optional). Mix together and let the flavors mingle. The garlic will nicely flavor the dressing without overpowering. Arrange the cauliflower on a platter. In the photo, you see that I used Romaine lettuce leaves as a base. Any greens would be beautiful. Or just the plate! Drizzle the pepper strips and dressing onto the hot cauliflower, sprinkle with a little more salt & pepper to taste. Allow to cool to room temperature as the flavors marry. Dazzle your family & friends with healthy COLOR. Serve. Bow gracefully during the applause. Invite everyone to "tuck in".

After enjoying this salad, we marveled at the beauty of the brightly colored dressing on the bottom of the plate.  Right? Honestly, nothing but olive oil, fresh squeezed lemon and and a juicy kiss from Mother Nature. 

Happy Easter to All & Happy Birthday to Franki, Betty (&Liz) & Tammy

Wishing you LOVE & colorful Easter blessings,

Katie

Swede Turnips (ok, RUTABAGAS!)

Scrub, admire, photograph

Peel, trim, photograph

Cut into chunks, toss onto sheet pan with oil, vinegar, kosher salt, pepper & a teensy bit of sugar, photograph

Roast in 425 degree oven for about 20 minutes, toss around, adjust to 400 convection and roast for another 10 minutes or until desired doneness, sprinkle with kosher salt while piping hot, photograph

If you know me, you know that I LOVE ROASTED VEGETABLES. Swede Turnips (Rutabagas) included. Note: I'm not really crazy about roasting regular turnips but these Swedes are more delicious! They're a cross between a turnip and kohlrabi. Rutabagas are very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. 
Also a good source of Thiamin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium, Magnesium and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Potassium and Manganese.

Read More http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2610/2#ixzz2xvjMR0tL

I explain above how to roast rutabagas and you can pretty much apply that method to any of your favorite root veg. The same method works well with parsnips (AWESOME), carrots and sweet potatoes. Amazing! 

The colorful plate of healthiness pictured here can be easily made with a little prep and planning. The rutabagas and carrots can be roasted as explained above. I like to spice up carrots and sweet potatoes with a little something more interesting like different curry blends or Balti seasoning or Bere Bere. Read about my favorite roasted, kick-ass, sweet potato "fries" here. Carrots are fabulous prepared the same way. If you're watching your sugar intake, you can certainly omit the sugar, however, it does add a nice yin-yang to the salt and other spices plus ensures a great crusty caramelization at high heat. 

Roasted beets are an all-time favorite for me and many clients, friends and family. Learn how to roast beets here. I have since simplified the process by not individually wrapping the beets and simply packaging them in a large packet of aluminum foil that is folded tightly so that no steam escapes! Easier and faster than roasting them individually. Once you get in the groove of roasting beets, you'll be doing it often, as I do. With a few tips as you'll read in my post, "Beet Street", prep and clean-up are a breeze and the payoff is pure, wholesome, amazing sweet and earthy flavor. You won't cook away any of the nutrients because it's just BEETS AND HEAT!

The salad shown above is simply a bed of tender greens tossed with some finely chopped Lacinato Kale, olive oil, golden balsamic vinegar, freshly squeezed lemon juice, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Piled on the salad are curried, roasted carrots and roasted rutabaga. The roasted beets and sweet onion were marinated in olive oil, pomegranate molasses, a bit of dijon mustard and a shot of balsamic vinegar. The hearty and filling grain salad was made with millet, quinoa, chick peas and fresh cilantro. How come no one ever talks about millet? It's nutritious, delicious, cheap, easy to cook and a super satisfying gluten-free food!

btw, this is not my hand - but it is millet

Quick note: Millet is rich in some very important nutrients like phosphorus, manganese, copper and magnesium. It's a good source of whole grain insoluble fiber and it makes a heck of a tabbouleh-ish salad. Try cooking some in vegetable broth or chicken broth for a little extra flavor. Dress as you wish and toss with a little olive oil, vegetables (raw or cooked), fresh herbs, beans and your favorite spices. I love freshly ground cumin, coriander and cayenne pepper. Lemon juice and fresh herbs brighten all of the flavors. Onions, scallions or finely minced shallot are delicious too! Experiment! It would make a perfect lunch to tote to your office too!

So, hey, great to be back in the KPK saddle : ) . . . Stay tuned for more about cooking, eating, drinking and loving.  Let's live inspired!


Love, Katie