Super Bowl Snacks- Farmer's Market Style

Famous "conscious food" pioneer Michael Pollan says that you can eat as much junk food as you want, as long as you make it yourself. So we decided to take that idea and run with it to create some yummy and slightly healthier versions of classic Super Bowl snacks.

We planned to make French onion dip, potato skins, and guacamole (this didn't happen because the avocados at the market were hard as rocks and we should have planned ahead, but of course we didn't, so we just scrapped that idea).

French Onion Dip

This salty delicious dip was a favorite of ours in high school when we could eat anything we wanted (and did) and gain no weight. We decided to make it from scratch. At first we were both stumped. Without the packet of Lipton's soup mix, how the hell could we pull this off. We thought and thought, and then the brilliant Sheesh figured it out!

2 medium onions, thinly sliced, then chopped

1-2 tblsp vegetable oil

1/4 cup stock

2 cups sour cream

salt to taste

Thinly slice and then chop the onions (we used the mandolin, but you don't have to) into approx. one inch pieces.

Saute the onions over medium heat with 1-2 tblsp of oil, add a pinch of salt to help them break down faster.

Let them continue to cook for a long time, stirring occasionally and adding the stock to deglaze the pan, until they look like this:

Let them cool, then mix onions with 2 cups of sour cream and salt to taste

serve and enjoy!

The dip was wonderful! It tasted almost exactly like the original favorite, but with a little sweetness and without the sting-your-tongue saltiness. I don't think I'm ever going back to Lipton's soup mix!

Fingerling Potato Skins

Who doesn't love potato skins? These are somewhat healthier because they're not deep fried, but they are still crispy and delicious!

some fingerling potatoes (2-3 per person)

2 tblsp vegetable oil

sour cream

1/2 cup shredded cheese

green onions or chives, diced

salt and pepper

Boil potatoes for 10-12 minutes, until fork tender.

Drain potatoes, slice in half lengthwise, and scoop out a little from each potato.

Heat 2 tblsp oil in a pan on medium heat, place potatoes (cut side down) and fry for 5-6 minutes, until cripsy and golden brown.

Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel.

Sprinkle potatoes with a little bit of salt and or pepper.

Sprinkle with cheese and place in the oven for about 5 minutes, until cheese is good and bubbly.

Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes.

Top with sour cream, green onions, and anything else you want to put on them (bacon is great, if you're into that sort of thing).

Eat!

What's In Season- February

Apples

Avocado

Grapefruit

Kiwi

Oranges

Strawberries

Tangerines

Beets

Broccoli

Cabbage

Carrots

Cauliflower

Celery

Collards

Garlic

Lettuce

Mustard

Onions, Dry

Onions, Green

Green Peas

Potatoes

Spinach

Winter squash

Tomatoes

Turnips

Yams

Arugula Pesto

Pesto is really a delicious way to enjoy many herbs and greens. The traditional basil is always a show stoper, but I recently had a delicious spinach pesto pasta salad that was a knockout and gave me the idea to try it with arugula. Arugula seems to be at every stand at the markets right now- and sometimes I am at my wits end trying to find different ways to prepare it. The first go-around I treated it like a regular pesto and added lots of garlic, which in combination with the naturally peppery flavor of arugula made it an overkill of that sharp spicy flavor. Second time around it had just the right kick for me.

Ingredients

1- 2 cloves of garlic

1 bunch of arugula

¼ cup walnuts

extra virgin olive oil

a pinch of salt

a handful of grated good parmesan cheese

This recipe could not be simpler. Add all ingredients into a food processor and chop. Add oil along the way until you get the desired smooth texture of pesto. You may need extra salt to taste depending on how bitter the arugula you are using is.

We ate this pesto with pasta but also used it to spice up brunch by serving it on toast topped with an egg.
Tip: you can always make pesto when herbs are fresh and freeze it in individual serving sizes in ice cube trays in the freezer. It works great added to soups to give them a fresh taste, or as a marinade for meats and

Pad See Ew

Lately I have been craving Thai food. Especially, Pad see ew, a favorite noodle dish of mine made with rice noodles and Gai Lan (sometimes called Chinese broccoli or Chinese Kale). I was debating whether to just give in and go for take out or attempt to make it myself. After a seeing a super fresh selection of Gai Lan at the Farmer’s Market in Culver City, I decided to give making it at home a shot. I figured varying up my greens that I buy can’t be a bad thing. I found a pretty simple recipe from Thai table and decided to give it a go. Just a heads up I used tofu instead of the traditional pork and doubled the sauce (light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and sugar) listed below, because it needed more flavor.

Ingredients

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 package of tofu or ½ cup pork thinly sliced

2 tbsp light soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 lb (package) wide fresh flat rice noodles**

1 egg

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 lb Chinese broccoli (Gai Lan)

**note: This recipe works best with fresh rice noodles, they are mainly found in asian super markets ( I got mine at 99 Ranch) and are right next to the “Deli section” adjacent to the refrigerators. These noodles should be refrigerated if you don’t plan on using them on the day purchased. If they are in the refrigerator leaving them out for a half an hour or so (prep time) will make them easier to cook. You could also use dry rice noodles if you are not able to find the fresh ones – but follow cooking instructions on the package.

Slice garlic thinly, and cut Gai Lan in about 2” long pieces. Slice the stems on a diagonal and separate from leaves (for cooking purposes).

Heat a wok on high and add oil. When oil is heated add in garlic and tofu. When tofu begins to brown add rice noodles and break them up using your spatula.

Some will stick to the pan but this adds to the desired texture. Stir in the soy sauce and sugar and mix into the noodles. Open a well in the middle of the wok and scramble in the egg. Until it is almost cooked through, then fold it into the noodles.

Add Gai Lan stems first and mix through, after about 2 minutes add the leaves and let them reduce, while folding them into the noodles.

When the Gai Lan is cooked turn off the wok and cover for a few minutes. This extra steaming will help release any noodles stuck to the bottom of the wok.

You can always finish off this dish by spicing it up with chili and a touch of sugar if you like once it’s on your plate.

Ribollita - An Italian Peasant Stew

Ribollita is a hearty Italian peasant soup I fell in love with years ago. It’s thicker than a minestrone and usually gets a lot of it’s tasty goodness from a dark cabbage called cavolo nero. Since we are in LA and not Italy I found kale to be a wonderful substitute for this classic stew. I started this dish with a basic reference from Jamie Oliver’s version of Ribollita and then made some changes (partly due to what was in my refrigerator and by merging some ideas from other recipes. As usual I made my version vegetarian, but many recipes include adding sausage to the soup.

Ingredients

1 can cannellini beans

1 bay leaf

1 tomato, squashed

1 potato

1 lrg brown onion

2 carrots, peeled

2 sticks of celery (including leaves)

3 cloves of garlic

1 lrg bunch of kale (don’t worry it reduces!), finely sliced

1 lrg diced tomato or 1 can of diced tomatoes (if winter)

a pinch of dried red chili flake

a pinch of ground fennel (can be excluded)

2 handfuls of good quality stale bread torn into chunks

salt and pepper to season

good quality olive oil and parmesan to top.

Bring to a boil the drained can of beans with the smashed tomato, half of the potato, and bay leaf and enough water to cover, for 25 minutes. Reserve 2 cups of cooking liquid, and drain beans.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Finely dice onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and remaining potato. In a large oven safe pot heat olive oil and add onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and potato with fennel seed and chili. Sweat on a low heat with the lid ajar for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are soft (stirring occasionally). Add a small amount of the bean cooking liquid, and deglaze the pot, scraping any browned bits from the bottom.

Add tomatoes and bring to a simmer for a couple of minutes. Add the cooked beans, ½ cup of the remaining cooking liquid and stir in sliced kale. Wait for kale to begin to reduce for a few minutes. Add in torn stale bread and remainder of cooking liquid (you can also substitute this for stock), and stir all together. Bake stew covered for 30 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper, and top with splash of olive oil and parmesan cheese.

Asian Peanut Noodle Salad

For this recipe we used a couple vegetables that looked great at the farmer’s market, but there is a lot of flexibility and you can improvise very easily with this recipe. We also used tofu for a vegan version, but are sure this dish would taste great with grilled chicken or beef.

Barbara Tropp’s Spicy Szechuan Peanut Sauce

(maybe it should be called “totally addictive garlicky peanut sauce”)

10 large peeled cloves of garlic

2/3 bunch of fresh cilantro leaves and upper stems

½ cup peanut butter

½ cup + 1 tbsp regular soy sauce

5 tbsp sugar

½ tsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

1-2 tbsp hot chili oil (or to taste) – (we used sriracha, because it was on hand)

Mince the garlic and coriander in a food processor. Add remaining ingredients and process for about one minute.

Go easy on the chili – you can always add more.

Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator.

Noodle Salad

1 pkg Barilla Whole Grain Pasta (can use regular pasta or soba noodles as well)

½ of a shredded savoy cabbage

2 julienne cut carrots

1 ½ cup sugar snap

½ pkg tofu

2 sliced green onions to top

Begin boiling water for pasta while preparing the vegetables. Slice carrots and remove the ends of the peas. Halve cabbage and remove core (hard white area). Cut ribbons from remaining cabbage. Cut tofu into 1 inch cubes.

Boil pasta, just before pasta is fully cooked (literally, right before you drain it), drop in peas and carrots into the same pot to blanch. Drain immediately into colander and rinse with cold water. Vegetables should still be crisp but not quite raw. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Mix in sauce according to your liking. Top with sliced green onion or sesame seeds. Voila!

Some alternative vegetables: Napa Cabbage, Green Cabbage, Red Pepper, Broccoli, Kohlrabi, Mushrooms, Asparagus

Ahoy, Popeye - Greens Goodness at the market

Winter is an amazing time to try all different kinds of leafy greens available at the farmer’s market. There are the traditional recognizable vegetables like cabbage, spinach, lettuce, kale and then a whole spectrum of new varieties to try. Leafy greens are nutritionally about as good as things come. They are full of vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, iron, and folic acid. Unfortunately they can be a bit intimidating. So we will try our hand at creating and finding recipes to integrate some of these veggi’s into our diets and trying to step out of the box on what we pick.