Category Archives: Vegetables

The Revelation of Roasted Broccoli!

Posted on by tinycookba
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Looking for a meal to please both the kids and you – and is healthy?  Look no further than chicken tacos with roasted broccoli (this ain’t your boring steamed broccoli)!  I had some organic chicken thighs (better than breasts for tacos because they stay so moist) and corn tortillas in the freezer and immediately thought of tacos.

There is a chicken recipe I’ve wanted to try from Fine Cooking August/Sept 2011 (my favorite magazine), where you marinate the chicken (you could also use fish) in Tamarind soda(Jarritos brand) and soy sauce – check it out here.

I’m not sure the Tamarind soda really came through, all I was tasting was soy sauce, but I still loved it because it tasted like one of those Asian fusion tacos.  I toasted the corn tortillas over a gas flame on my stovetop, which makes them taste so amazing!  Then I let the kids fill their own tacos, which they loved.  Fillings: chopped tamarind soy chicken, shredded sharp cheddar, diced avocado, and homemade salsa.  For the salsa: I grilled some tomatoes just enough to get some charred marks allover them, then threw them into the blender with some white onion, cilantro, jalapeno, and salt.

As for the Roasted Broccoli, heat your oven to 425 degrees and cut florets from either 1 large head of broccoli, or 2 smaller heads.  Put the florets on the sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil and some kosher salt.  Toss everything really well with your hands and spread out.  Roast for about 20 minutes then toss around with a spatula and roast for another 10 minutes or so, or until the stalks are tender.  The broccoli develops little toasty bits all over them, transforming the broccoli to something so tasty that it doesn’t even taste like broccoli.  My kids scarfed them down and then asked for seconds and thirds!

Baba Ghanoush

Posted on by tinycookba
2

This goes out to all my Dearborn peeps.  I absolutely love the smokey flavor of baba ghanoush and I am not embarrassed to admit that I can down an entire bowl of it in one sitting.  I have tried 3 different ways to cook the eggplant: grilling it, baking it in the oven at high heat, and charring it over a gas burner on my cook top.  BY FAR, the best flavor comes from charring it over the gas burner.  Here’s my recipe:

Baba Ghanoush

1 large purple eggplant

tahini

garlic cloves

lemon juice

kosher salt

olive oil

Turn one of your gas burners on your cook top to high and put your eggplant on top of the grate.  Cook, turning occasionally, until the skin of the eggplant is charred all over.  (It will get a little stinky- it kind of smells like pot, – and it will get messy, but it is well worth it!)  Put the eggplant on a plate and let cool, then peel off the charred skin and try to get rid of the big burned bits.  (Small bits are fine).  In the bowl of a food processor, process 2 garlic cloves until chopped.  Then add eggplant, 1/4 cup of tahini, a tablespoon of lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and a drizzle of olive oil.  Whiz around until blended.  Taste and add more of whatever you think it needs.  It should be nice and smooth, like baby food, but with more texture.  It’s great with some good pita bread, but also delicious with cucumber slices if you are trying to low-carb it.  Enjoy!

Eggplant Parmesan – my favorite meal of all time!

Posted on by tinycookba
1

Eggplant Parmesan – When done right, this is my favorite meal to eat!  Thin layers of crisp eggplant, gooey cheese, and just enough sauce to hold it all together.  Unfortunately most restaurants do not make it right, either by leaving the bitter skin on or by cutting it too thick.  I haven’t made it in awhile, so I decided to make a practice batch and to make a giant pot of marinara sauce, because I have a few friends that I want to make this for very soon.  Here is the best way I know of to eat eggplant:

Eggplant Parmesan

1 large eggplant

3 Eggs

2 T milk

Flour

Italian style breadcrumbs (or plain breadcrumbs with Parm and parsley added to it)

Marinara sauce – I used this recipe from Fine Cooking.  Try and use San Marzano tomatoes or a good brand like Muir Glen, for the best tasting sauce.

Mozzarella cheese, shredded ( I don’t use fresh because I find it too watery for this)

Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese, grated

Vegetable oil

Peel the skin off the eggplants and cut off the ends.  Slice eggplant (either longwise or across) into slightly less than ¼ inch slices.  Arrange the slices in a colander or on a cookie sheet lined with paper towels.  Sprinkle each piece with kosher salt.  Leave the eggplant for 30 minutes or so, until the bitter juices have been released.  Using paper towels, pat the eggplant slices to soak up the excess juices.

Heat a few tablespoons of the oil in a large frying pan.  Put some flour in a shallow bowl (season with salt and pepper), beat the eggs and milk in another shallow bowl, and add the breadcrumbs in yet another shallow bowl.  Dip the eggplant slices into the flour, then the egg (shaking off excess), and into the breadcrumbs.  Fry the pieces in canola oil until golden brown.  Drain on a plate lined with paper towels.  This frying process will take a few batches, but tastes much better than baking the eggplant.  *Important* make sure you wipe out the frying pan after every few batches, as some of the breadcrumbs will fall off and start to turn black, leaving a charred taste to the eggplant. And don’t forget to sprinkle the eggplant with some salt when it comes out of the pan.

When all of the eggplant is cooked, it’s time for assembly!  You can use lasagna dishes, regular 9 x 13 dishes, or whatever you have around that’s a few inches deep.  (1 large eggplant will make enough for an 8-inch square baking dish, serving 6-8 people, or less, if you’re serving Italians or my friend Rob).  Spread some sauce on the bottom of the dish.  Put down one layer of eggplant, making sure to fill in empty spots.  Spread some more sauce on top of the eggplant, then some mozzarella and Parmesan.  Continue the eggplant, sauce, mozzarella, and Parmesan layers until you are out of eggplant.

Bake in a 350-degree oven, covered, until heated through.  Uncover and bake for 5 minutes more.

Enjoy!

Carrot Fries & Sliders w/ Caramelized Onions

Posted on by tinycookba
2

Carrot Fries.  If you like sweet potato fries, you’ll love these carrot fries even more!  The carrot fries were born out of an over abundance of carrots last year from my CSA box.  I have been making baked sweet potato fries for years, so I thought I should try it out with carrots.  As far as baked fries go, I think the carrots come out much better than the sweet potatoes because they stay firmer and don’t get mushy, which can sometimes happen with the sweet potatoes.  I peel them and cut them into uniform size, then drizzle them with olive oil, kosher salt, some brown sugar, and some chili powder – give them a toss and bake in a 400 degree oven for 20-30 minutes, tossing occasionally so that they cook evenly.  Yum.  My kids love them too.

Now for sliders with caramelized onions.  I like to make little sliders because they are fun to eat and the kids love them.  I like to use Kings Hawaiian sweet rolls because they are the perfect size and they are soft and sweet and go well with the burgers.  I use Ina Garten’s recipes for the burgers and the caramelized onions – click the link for the recipe.  1 pound of ground beef (costco has a great price on organic ground beef) makes about 12 sliders.  These caramelized onions are AMAZING!  I have tried many different recipes for caramelized onions, but I think this is the best.  Some recipes call for added sugar, but I find the natural sugars in the onions to be plenty.  I caramelize them almost to the point of an onion jam – I like them on the darker side, which makes them super flavorful.  These also freeze very well.  Add them to equal parts mayo, sour cream, and cream cheese for a great onion dip.

I ran out of time, but usually I also make a garlic mayonnaise to go with the sliders – some mayo, some minced garlic, kosher salt, and a bit of chopped parsley.  Yum!