First Friday Food

Whole Wheat Gingerbread Pancakes

/ Shane / 1 Comment

The first Friday of the month is reserved for recipes. You can see additional First Friday Food posts here.

The Reason:

Although gingerbread kind of says “Christmas”, this is not a Christmas recipe per se, which is why it’s okay to post it in January. Anyway, I didn’t find this one until after the last food post was up, and it’s too good to keep it from you for a whole year.

And, pancakes.

The Journey:

I removed the brown sugar from the original recipe. It seemed like a lot of sugar on top of all of that molasses, but despite that the pancakes didn’t taste that sweet. Anyway, I get my sweetness by way of slathering on the maple syrup, which is much more directly on my tongue, so the pancakes themselves don’t need to be all that sweet. So I took it out and they were just as good without it, so you can thank me later. (Not to mention that I halved the salt like I usually do, so your heart can thank me later as well.)

Did I mention there was a lot of molasses?

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I’m not sure I’ve ever really shown my full pancake setup here, but yeah, we’re kind of crazy. I mean, you guys know I’m obsessed with pancakes, but we usually make a triple batch for the 4 of us. I am not kidding.

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And that’s just Evie’s plate!

 

The Verdict:

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so:

pancake stack

The Recipe:

Recipe adapted from Cookie and Kate (coincidentally, second month in a row!):

  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup milk
  • 3 tablespoons unsulphured molasses
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
  1. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar).
  2. In a smaller bowl, whisk the egg and then whisk in the milk, molasses, vanilla and melted butter. Slowly pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, stirring as you pour, until the flour is just incorporated.
  3. Heat a griddle, cast-iron pan or non-stick pan over medium-low heat. It’s hot enough when a drop of water sizzles against the pan. Grease the pan with a pat of butter or non-stick cooking spray. Give the bowl one more stir and pour 1/3 cup batter into the pan. Flip when the perimeter of the pancake is no longer shiny (these pancakes don’t develop many of the tell-tale bubbles around the edges so they can be a bit tricky). Serve the cooked pancake immediately or keep warm in an oven set to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Repeat with remaining pancakes, adjusting heat as necessary to achieve pancakes that are cooked through and golden brown on both sides.

Kale and Black Bean Tacos

/ Shane / 1 Comment

The first Friday of the month is reserved for recipes. You can see additional First Friday Food posts here.

The Reason:

Kale. Lots and lots and lots of kale. The garden produced more kale than we knew what to do with this year, and we had to find some way to use it. This was one of the pleasant surprises turned up by kale recipe Internet searches.

The Journey:

As with all kale recipes, de-stemming and chopping is the hardest part. I’m not particularly stringent on the de-stemming part, but I do try to take out the largest parts. It also helps to employ child labor.

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I would say this doesn’t taste particularly “kale-y”, but is just a fantastically seasoned topping for your tacos. It’s not just a good excuse to use kale; I’d choose it over regular lettuce any day. In fact I’ve eaten the leftover greens just as a salad. Don’t judge until you’ve tried it.

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The Verdict:

Soooooo good! SO good.

The citrus is what really puts it over the top, I think. Also, I think I tend to under-season tacos and then just depend on some salsa to give it a little kick. But the seasoning is so good here. Finally, the corn tortillas are the finishing touch. We usually have flour tortillas, but corn tortillas taste so much more authentic to me. (It helps that we have an awesome local tortilla company here!)

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The Recipe:

Recipe “upsized” from Cookie and Kate:

  • The juice from 1 lime (I mostly use lemon)
  • 1 Tablespoon of olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp of cumin powder
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp of sea salt
  • 1 seeded and finely chopped fresh jalapeños
  • 1 tablespoon cilantro, roughly chopped
  • 1 bunch of kale (~8 – 10 leaves), washed and dried, stems removed and roughly chopped into bite-sized pieces
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
  • ~8 small (8 inch) corn tortillas
  • 1 small avocado, pitted and sliced into strips lengthwise
  • 1/4 cup chopped red onion
  • crumbled feta cheese for topping
  1. In a bowl, combine the lime juice, olive oil, cumin, chili powder, sea salt, jalapeño, cilantro and kale. Toss to mix well and set the bowl aside to marinate.
  2. Warm the beans and minced garlic with a couple of tablespoons of water. You can do this in your smallest sauce pan on the stove over medium-low heat (sauté the garlic in a drizzle of olive oil before adding the beans) or in a bowl in the microwave. Add little splashes of water as necessary. Use a fork to mash up the beans a little and add salt to taste, if necessary.
  3. Warm the tortilla in a skillet or in the microwave for a few seconds. Top the tortilla with the black bean mixture, sliced avocado, marinated kale (you may end up with more kale than will fit in your burrito, reserve the extra and serve it on the side). Top with red onion and feta. Roll up the burrito by first folding the tortilla over from the bottom to partially cover the beans and greens, then fold in the 2 sides; finish rolling and put the burrito seam side down on a plate. Slice in half, if desired, and serve with sour cream or plain Greek yogurt on the side if you’d like.

Chermoula Eggplant With Bulgur and Yogurt

/ Shane / Leave a comment

The first Friday of the month is reserved for recipes. You can see additional First Friday Food posts here.

The Reason:

Okay, last month I mentioned this recipe, but I didn’t want to distract from that amazing recipe. So now it’s time for this one to shine all on its own.

The Journey:

At the end of the day, this is an eggplant dish. I don’t know how people feel about eggplant one way or the other, but I’m sort of ambivalent on them in general. However, this is the perfect way to eat them. The eggplant is very tender, and the seasonings / toppings give it a lot of flavor.

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The Verdict:

It’s good, not too difficult to make, and it seems very fancy pants (at least to me, who is admittedly not exactly the final word on fancy pants).

In fact, that basically goes for everything in Jerusalem, so you should go out and buy it immediately. We have not had a bad recipe yet.

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The Recipe:

Recipe from Jerusalem.

  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon chili flakes
  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped preserved lemon peel (I’m told they’re available in stores, but ours actually came from the food swap)
  • 2/3 cup olive oil, plus extra to finish
  • 2 medium eggplants
  • 1 cup fine bulgur
  • 2/3 cup boiling water
  • 1/3 cup golden raisins
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons warm water
  • 1/3 ounce (2 teaspoons) cilantro, chopped, plus extra to finish
  • 1/3 ounce (2 teaspoons) mint, chopped
  • 1/3 cup pitted green olives, halved (we didn’t use these because Sara doesn’t like olives)
  • 1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
  • 3 green onions, chopped
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
  • Salt
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. To make the chermoula, mix together in a small bowl the garlic, cumin, coriander, chili, paprika, preserved lemon, two-thirds of the olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
  3. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise. Score the flesh of each half with deep, diagonal crisscross cuts, making sure not to pierce the skin. Spoon the chermoula over each half, spreading it evenly, and place the eggplant halves on a baking sheet, cut side up. Put in the oven and roast for 40 minutes, or until the eggplants are completely soft.
  4. Meanwhile, place the bulgur in a large bowl and cover with the boiling water.
  5. Soak the raisins in the warm water. After 10 minutes, drain the raisins and add them to the bulgur, along with the remaining oil. Add the herbs, olives, almonds, green onions, lemon juice and a pinch of salt and stir to combine. Taste and add more salt if necessary.
  6. Serve the eggplants warm or at room temperature. Place 1/2 eggplant, cut side up, on each individual plate. Spoon the bulgur on top, allowing some to fall from both sides. Spoon over some yogurt, sprinkle with cilantro and finish with a drizzle of oil.

Roasted Butternut Squash & Red Onion with Tahini & Za’atar

/ Shane / 1 Comment

The first Friday of the month is reserved for recipes. You can see additional First Friday Food posts here.

The Reason:

We originally checked out the amazing cookbook Jerusalem from the library, but since then we’ve not only bought a copy, but even given a copy as a wedding present. And on the inside cover of the book-as-a-wedding-present, we said TURN TO THIS PAGE IMMEDIATELY AND MAKE THIS DISH.

It is THAT. GOOD.

This is the best thing you’ve ever eaten in your life. You will never eat anything tastier than this.

The Journey:

I only have one picture of this recipe, because I was originally planning to do a combination with this one and chermoula eggplant with bulgur & yogurt. But forget that, this recipe is too good to share the limelight with another.

Roasted butternut squash & red onion with tahini & za'atar

Ah, just breath it in my friend.

This recipe requires a tablespoon of the Middle Eastern spice za’atar. We managed to find it at a grocery store in Chicago, but if you don’t live where it is available, you can easily order it online. Worth it.

The other tip is that you do not need to peel the squash. I mean, that should be obvious from the fact that peeling the squash is not a step listed in the recipe, but somehow that didn’t stop me. I just assumed it was obvious you’d have to peel it, so they left it unsaid. But no, leave the skin on, no problem at all. It sure makes this recipe a lot easier to make!

The Verdict:

Did you try it? Told you. You can die happy now.

The Recipe:

Recipe from Jerusalem.

  • 1 large butternut squash (2 1/4 lb. in total), cut into 3/4 by 2 1/2-inch wedges (skin on!)
  • 2 red onions, cut into 1 1/4-inch wedges
  • 3 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 3 1/2 Tbsp. light tahini paste
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 2 Tbsp. water
  • 1 small clove garlic, crushed
  • 3 1/2 Tbsp. pine nuts
  • 1 Tbsp. za’atar
  • 1 Tbsp. coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
  2. Put the squash and onion in a large mixing bowl, add 3 tablespoons of the oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and some black pepper and toss well.
  3. Spread on a baking sheet with the skin facing down and roast in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the vegetables have taken on some color and are cooked through. Keep an eye on the onions as they might cook faster than the squash and need to be removed earlier.
  4. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
  5. To make the sauce, place the tahini in a small bowl along with the lemon juice, water, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Whisk until the sauce is the consistency of honey, adding more water or tahini if necessary.
  6. Pour the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil into a small frying pan and place over medium-low heat.
  7. Add the pine nuts along with 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook for 2 minutes, stirring often, until the nuts are golden brown.
  8. Remove from the heat and transfer the nuts and oil to a small bowl to stop the cooking.
  9. To serve, spread the vegetables out on a large serving platter and drizzle over the tahini. Sprinkle the pine nuts and their oil on top, followed by the za’atar and parsley.

Crusted Salmon with Honey-Mustard Sauce

/ Shane / Leave a comment

The first Friday of the month is reserved for recipes. You can see additional First Friday Food posts here.

The Reason:

Apropos of our Maine vacation, how about a seafood recipe?

Sara is not a fan of seafood. I don’t remember how I convinced her to try this one, but she actually doesn’t mind it. So if an avid seafood avoider like Sara likes it, then you know it’s good.

The Journey:

You start out by soaking the salmon in milk. This seemed weird at first, but I think it really takes a lot of the “fishy” taste out of it, which is what makes it appealing to non-fish lovers.

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You know, I think I’d basically eat anything, as long as it is crusted. You put some parmesan and bread crumbs on there, and everything is instantly better.

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The honey mustard is very buttery, but actually I think that’s what makes it work. I don’t know if I would eat this honey mustard on a salad, but as someone who just got back from Maine (where you practically drink a cup of butter with your lobster), I think I can safely say that butter is always good with seafood.

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The Verdict:

Not just tasty, but very, very easy to make. Very little prep time, and wonderful. Don’t skip on the honey mustard though; that’s what totally makes it.

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The Recipe:

Recipes from allrecipes.com:

  • 1 (1.5 pound) skinless center-cut salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  1. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Prepare a baking sheet with cooking spray.
  2. Place the salmon fillets in a baking dish; pour the milk over the fillets. Allow the salmon to soak in the milk 10 to 15 minutes.
  3. Stir the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese together in a wide, deep bowl. Beat the egg in a separate bowl until frothy. Remove the salmon fillets from the milk; shake the excess milk off the fish. Dip each fillet into the beaten egg and then gently press into the bread crumb mixture to coat; gently shake to remove the excess.
  4. Bake in the preheated oven, turning once, until the salmon flakes easily with a fork, about 15 minutes.
  5. While the salmon bakes, stir the butter, mustard, and honey together in a bowl; drizzle over the baked salmon to serve.