Big News!

Hi orangeideal fans. It’s been a while. Over a year. Sorry about that!

But for those of you still out there or accidentally still subscribed, I just wanted to give a quick update.

In the past year, I finished culinary school at the Natural Gourmet Institute, picked up my chefs knives, and moved to Chicago! I’m now happily settled in and working at the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

That’s all well and good, but there’s more! I’m starting my own organization, called Dinner Around the Table, where I will be teaching Jewish families in Chicago how to cook and value spending time together around food. There’s a lot more to say, but really, you should just check out the site: www.DinnerAroundtheTable.org. I’ve also been tweeting up a storm these days and you can follow me @JessicaAFisher.

Easy Granola

Breakfast is a tough meal. You want it to be filling, substantive, and healthy. But you also kind of want something sweet and carb-loaded because that’s how you grew up and what you’re used to…but you still feel guilty about that health thing and when you think about cereal and pancakes and waffles as daily breakfast items it makes you kind of uncomfortable. Or maybe that’s just me. Either way people always ask me what I eat for breakfast. My secret: when I make it myself, I’m in control of what’s going in it so I can decide if I like what I’m eating or I don’t.

Most of the time, my breakfasts center around oats–oatmeal or granola. The best part about these breakfast foods is that you can constantly change how you make them to keep your mornings varied. I started making my own granola this past November and I don’t think I’m going back–especially when I glance at the nutrition labels on some of my old favorites.

There’s nothing scary about homemade granola. I promise. The last batch I made, my dad kind of looked at it hesitantly and asked me skeptically how I got it to look store bought. And I love that I can change it based on my mood, what’s in the house, and who I’m serving it to. You can use this formula to make granola that is gluten free, vegan, dairy free. It can be eaten with yogurt, almond milk, as a snack… It also makes a great gift!

Easy Granola Formula
Grain+Nuts/Seeds+Sweetener+Fat+Dried Fruit= Granola!

It’s that easy. And changing the proportions only makes a different type of breakfast food–you can make it with more fruit, the next time with more nuts, etc. Remember, when using dried fruits keep an eye on the sugar content and drying methods.

Granola
Makes 6 cups

4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1/2 cup unsalted raw almonds, roughly chopped
1/2 cup Grade A maple syrup
1 squirt raw honey
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup dried apricots, cut in strips
1/4 cup dried medjool dates, roughly chopped

1. Preheat oven to 375° Farenheit.

2. Mix oats and nuts in a large mixing bowl.

3. In a separate, smaller bowl, whisk maple syrup, honey, and coconut oil. Pour over oat mixture and stir until evenly coated.

4. Spread mixture onto a full sheet pan (or two half sheet pans) in an even layer.

5. Put the tray in the oven and check regularly, stirring the oat mixture to avoid burning. Remove when golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. The granola will not be hard at this point–that happens as it cools.

6. When the mixture has cooled a little, fold in dried fruit. When completely cooled, store in an airtight container.

Tiny Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Pine nut Spinach Saute

I’m back!

I know. I went on a ridiculously long hiatus. But it was for a good reason (sort of). I went to culinary school at the Natural Gourmet Institute and I was cooking so much during the day that I ran out of energy to make fun things at home. Plus my most recent kitchen(s) had terrible lighting and then my camera got stolen so the lighting didn’t even matter. Great excuses, right? Anyway the important thing is that I am now back in a kitchen with excellent lighting, I have a great new camera (thanks, grandma!), and I’m loaded with health factoids, clever cooking tips, and better knife skills!

So to start us off on the right foot, I’m posting two vegetable side dishes. Beyond the delicious flavors, these are nice compliments to each other because they really brighten up your plate and help you fill out the color spectrum in your meal. As my teacher and Natural Gourmet Institute president Jenny Matthau taught us, eating the rainbow isn’t just about making your plate look beautiful (although that is important, too), but eating foods that naturally span the color spectrum helps you ensure that your body is getting all of the vital nutrients it needs, like beta-carotene, lycopene, and lutein which are cancer-fighting and immune-boosting nutrients found in carrots, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes.

The key to this sweet potato recipe, which could easily be made with other types of potatoes or winter squashes, is cutting the potatoes into small or medium dice, no bigger than 1/2″ on each side. I have to admit that when I made these for dinner this week only half of them made it to the table since I snacked on them while I cooked–they’re so easy to pick at and so addicting!

The spinach recipe is just a basic quick saute, but instead of mincing the garlic, I cut it into slivers to bring out a different side of the garlic. Did you know that when you cut garlic differently it brings out different flavors from the garlic? Try slicing, mincing, or making a paste from fresh garlic and taste the difference.

Oh, and the best part? These recipes are easy to make and don’t leave too much of a mess behind.

Tiny Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Serves 4

3 large sweet potatoes
1 sprig rosemary
2 sprigs thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
2.Cut sweet potatoes into small to medium size dice, no larger than 1/2″ on each side.
3. Roughly chop rosemary and pick the thyme leaves from its stem.
4. Toss potatoes, rosemary,  thyme, and olive oil in a bowl.
5. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
6. Bake 15 minutes and stir. Bake 10 more minutes or until some of the edges are golden brown and the potato pieces are soft.

Pine nut Spinach Saute
Serves 4

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 bunch fresh spinach
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat a saute pan on medium heat. Toast pine nuts until the aroma is noticeable–be careful not to burn.
2. Remove pine nuts from pan. Add olive oil to pan and allow it to heat.
3. Add sliced garlic and allow them to simmer, but not brown, in the oil, about 1-2 minutes.
4. Add spinach, in batches if necessary. Cook until tender and wilted.
5. Mix in the pine nuts and toss with salt and pepper and serve.

Resources for Cooking at Home

To wrap up this mini series of menu planning and home cooking, here are a list of some of my favorite online guides to help ease the journey and tempt you with great recipes and photos:

Not Eating Out in New York
Started as a blog to document Cathy’s efforts to not eat in restaurants while living in New York (a difficult feat I can assure you) between 2006 and 2008, this blog is full of creative, doable recipes that can be made in your own kitchen, no matter the size. She also keeps a running tally of reasons for “not eating out,” which provide excellent motivation for your cooking ambitions.

New York Times Recipes for Health
This New York Times blog is updated each week with five recipes based on one ingredient–from zucchini to quinoa flour to rice noodles. The recipes are always varied, fresh, and simple.

Sprouted Kitchen
Written by someone who really loves her vegetables, this blog is all about using wholesome ingredients to create quality dishes.

The Vegetarian Family Table
This blog is still on the young-side but it is run by veteran food blogger Ari, who uses the blog to chronicle her vegetarian home-cooking adventures. Her recipes are healthy, filling, and delicious.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of resources–these are just some that are particularly conducive to planning menus and cooking during the week. Other blogs that I love and follow can be found in the “Blog roll” to the right. Some of these haven’t been updated in a while, but their archives contain well-loved treasures. Enjoy and get ready for some new recipes to be posted soon!

Soba Noodles

Here goes for the first recipe on the menu I posted.

It’s a bit scandalous to me that I never posted this recipe before. Anyone who eats with me with any kind of regularity has eaten my soba noodles at least once. Or heard me talk about them. It’s my go-to, don’t-feel-like-cooking-but-want-something-delicious-and-flavorful dish. It wasn’t always like that but now that I’ve made it at least once a week for the past… six months? it’s old hat.

I love everything about these soba noodles. It makes me feel like I’m eating in an Asian restaurant (my favorite indulgence) but gives me the pride of having cooked it myself. The peanuts and scallions give it the extra kick that finishes it off for me. The buckwheat noodles are also healthy and filling in ways that regular pasta is not, although I find it so addicting that I keep eating it past the “full” point and rarely end up with enough for lunch the next day if I am sharing the meal with a friend. It’s also a great dish for its versatility–I throw in vegetables (I chose broccoli here, but I also love it with eggplant and cauliflower), tofu, eggs, peanuts–so many staples can find a home in this bowl and round out the nutritional value. These qualities make it great for pot lucks, too, because they bring a wow-factor and worst case scenario you have yourself a meal you can be content with.

Soba Noodles
Serves three hungry people

1 package dried soba noodles
1 package extra firm tofu
1-2 eggs
1-2 broccoli crowns
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup tamari
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and shaved
1/8-1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne (depending on desired spiciness)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon mustard (optional)

handful of peanuts, chopped
1/2 cup scallions, chopped

While water is boiling for noodles, wrap tofu in paper towels and place under a pot or pan for at least ten minutes to remove excess liquid.

Cut tofu into desired shape (I prefer cubes or rectangular strips). In a hot pan, pour 1-2 tablespoons of oil. Lower heat to medium or medium-low and add tofu. Cook until each side is golden brown. Remove tofu from pan.

Add another tablespoon of oil to saute the broccoli. I like mine slightly browned. Remove from pan.

Scramble egg(s) and cook.

Add noodles to boiling water.

Prepare sauce by mixing the remaining ingredients (water through rice vinegar/mustard). Add spice based on personal preference (and of course the preference of whomever you are eating with). When noodles are tender, drain water and return to pot, adding tofu, broccoli, eggs, and sauce. Mix and serve, topped with chopped peanut and scallions.

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For the Asian salad, I went with one romaine heart, a handful of chopped scallions, 1/4 cup of tamari, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1/4 cup oil, toasted sesame seeds, and sea salt. Nice and simple.