March 2010 – The Kitchen Illiterate

Rice Made Awesome

I was never really a big fan of rice. Given the carbohydrate choice, I’d choose pasta over rice any day, but when I decided I needed more whole grains in my diet, I knew I was going to have to welcome rice, and other rice-like things, into my life on a much more regular basis. This became a lot easier when I realized that rice is a very versatile canvas, and that it can be cooked with all manner of vegetables, herbs, and spices. I know, what a revelation, right?

This general grains-cooking method has become invaluable for me over the last few months. I vary the recipe based on what I’m planning to add in, but the basic technique stays the same, and the recipe nearly always includes carrots. This can be done with all types of grains: wild rice, brown rice, barley, Kamut, millet, wheat berries, even couscous, quinoa, and bulgur, although the cooking method varies slightly for these smaller, less dense grains (I’ll talk about these in a future post). Once the grains are cooked and flavored, you can mix in roasted vegetables, tofu, fish, chicken, whatever you’d like, really. Some of my favorite combinations are listed at the end of this post.
Continue reading Rice Made Awesome

A new month, a new menu

It appears that March is the month when I take an unintended absence from the kitchen, or at least from writing about it. As usual, I might not be posting, but I have been cooking. However, every time I sat down to share what I’ve been cooking, I couldn’t find a way to make it fit. See, I’ve been eating very differently lately. You might have noticed some of those differences: a lot more vegetables, a lot less pasta, butter, and cream. I rarely make New Year’s resolutions, but this year I decided I needed to make some changes in how I eat. I’m never one to advocate dieting. A life without pasta, chocolate, and burgers is no life at all. But balance? I’m always in favor of that, and this year, I realized I have to put my money where my mouth is, and eat what I advocate.
Continue reading A new month, a new menu

Swiss Chard and Red Pepper Gratin

What? Another gratin? Has the kitchen really gotten this boring? Well, actually no. This gratin couldn’t be more different from last week’s Sweet Potato and Spinach Gratin. In fact, I’m not even really sure that this is a gratin. It seems a lot more like a frittata, but if the New York Times wants to call it a gratin, who am I to argue?

I bookmarked this one a year and a half ago, and every time I came across it subsequently, it just didn’t catch my attention the way it had at first. But this week, for some reason, it stood out. I think it was the red peppers. I buy red peppers so infrequently in the winter that I can’t even remember the last time I had them. But the red peppers at the produce market last weekend were so brilliantly red I couldn’t resist them. And I was intrigued by what looked like a frittata with rice, which I’ve been eating a lot more of lately, so I decided I had to try it. I only wish I’d tried it sooner.
Continue reading Swiss Chard and Red Pepper Gratin

Sweet Potato and Spinach Gratin

I’ll be honest, I had little niggling voices of doubt in the back of my mind as I started putting this dinner together. It sounds like a dubious combination: Sweet potatoes, spinach, garlic, and cheddar cheese? For reals? Well, I’m here to tell you, my friends, to allay your fears of a weird dinner. This is excellent! The flavors balance each other very nicely, and it is a wonderful cold weather comfort food dinner: warm and cheesy, but with the added kick of nutritiousness that sweet potatoes and spinach bring to the table: beta carotene, vitamin C, iron, vitamin K, the list goes on and on. I love it when I get my indulgence and my health boost in one place.

You might think that the cheese cancels out the benefits of the vegetables, but let me tell you, that is simply not true. Some vitamins are fat-soluble, meaning they aren’t absorbed in the body without a complementary dose of tasty, tasty, fat. So don’t skimp on the cheese. It’s good for you!
Continue reading Sweet Potato and Spinach Gratin

Brussels Sprout and Brown Rice Salad

This might not look like the most appetizing meal you’ve ever seen, but I have to tell you, it is so tasty and satisfying it has become a very regular dinner in my little house. I’ve tried a few variations of this recipe, and have concluded that this one is the best: the crunchy walnuts and thinly sliced Brussels are very well accented by the earthiness of za’atar, a blend of sumac, sesame seeds, and other dried herbs. I was introduced to za’atar by an old college friend, whose father is Lebanese, but until now hadn’t found much use for it other than making the flatbread her father would bring up when he visited.

My brother, Patrick, inspired this concoction when he mentioned that he had started cooking Brussels sprouts sliced very thinly. They cook a lot faster, and have a little more delicate flavor. And why, you might be wondering is this dish so very yellow? I decided to cook the rice with turmeric, a little suggestion from a former housemate, Christa. So this is dish is like a big amalgam of inspiration from people I’ve known, and a quick and easy weeknight dinner full of crunch and flavor.
Continue reading Brussels Sprout and Brown Rice Salad