To be honest, I am not quite sure what I spent the last two weeks so busy doing. Last weekend was my boyfriend's birthday, so I spent part of the time drinking mimosas and the other part lying on the couch :) I also haven't been feeling 100% so I think that had something to do with my absence.
I have spent almost the entire week eating quinoa + goat cheese, and tacos (corn tortilla, black beans, cilantro, pico de gallo, red onion, lime juice and avocado = magic). In my taco frame of mind, I had also purchased the necessary supplies to make Salsa de Chipotle, so I decided to make that today.
For a frame of reference, I LOVE dips, so I decided to make this with the intention of dipping carrots and other crunchy vegetables into it. I think I went through a month long period a few years ago where I literally only ate dips and the food I could dip into it.
Ingredients
6 Roma tomatoes
1/4 cup sunflower oil or vegetable oil + 1 tsp
1/4 white onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
2 chipotle chiles in adobo (go to the Mexican section of the grocery store; they are in a little can)
Directions
1) Preheat oven to 350*. Cover a baking sheet in aluminum foil. Cut tomatoes in half and place them on the baking sheet. Roast for 1.5 hours.
2) In a medium pan, heat 1 tsp oil. Saute onion and garlic until golden brown.
3) When the tomatoes are done, put them into a large blender. Add onions, garlic, cilantro and chiles. It will seem like two chiles isn't very much, but it was perfect for me. Add more if you want more kick. Blend and gradually add oil. Keep blending until smooth.
4) Eat with your favorite dipping items, or on tacos.
WARNING: I would suggest making this for a crowd. If you are home alone, you are going to find it very difficult not to eat the whole thing! This stuff is incredible.
Big thanks to Glamour May 2012's feature presented by chef Julieta Ballestero, which is where I got this recipe from. I can't wait to try to recipe for "The Perfect Guacomole."
Showing posts with label carrots. Show all posts
Showing posts with label carrots. Show all posts
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Lentil Spread
Wow! I do not know how I went two weeks without blogging. Okay, to be honest, I do have somewhat of an idea. Here is an idea of what my last two weeks looked like: Come home, pour a glass of red wine/7-up, get out a bowl of lentil spread and carrots, and park myself on the couch to reach Catching Fire/Mockingjay (Yes, I have jumped on The Hunger Games bandwagon!).
I finally finished the series, which is bittersweet. It ended well, but it is always a little sad when you have to say goodbye to characters and a series ends. I still have the movie to look forward to, which I am hoping to see in the next few weeks. Today I am going to go to the public library to look for something to read next. It will probably be something that doesn't capture as much attention (the newest murder mystery, perhaps?) so I can still manage to feed and clothe myself during the week :)
Yes, that is really the Boise Public Library above. So cute!
Back to the lentil spread that served as my sidekick to reading - the one delicious thing I do want to write about. This spread would be great on sandwiches, makes a great dip with baby carrots (or any other dipping vegetables) and it awesome with garlic naan or pita bread. It is very similiar in texture to hummus, but with a slightly different flavor. I got the recipe from Bon Appetit April 2012 and it is the recreation of a recipe from the Rock Center Cafe in NYC.
The Rock Center Cafe is at Rockefeller Center and is apparently a great place to eat, as it has stunning views of Manhanttan and the Rock Ice Skating Rink. They are known for their breakfasts and "contemporary American" lunches and dinners. The restaurant has a cute prix fixe menu to choose from for their skating and dinner combo - one appetizer, entree and dessert per person, plus an ice skating package. It is $45/person, but I have a feeling that isn't expensive for NYC.
Sign me up for the Crystal Valley Farm Organic Chicken, Chocolate Blackout Cake, and Roasted Beets with Humboldt Fog Goat Cheese...sounds amazing.
I can't find the lentil dip on their menu, but the point is, I want you to feel like a fancy New Yorker, overlooking the city of Manhanttan, eating your $20 lentil dip, just because you can.
Lentil Spread
Ingredients
1 head of garlic - get the real stuff, not the preminced stuff. We are going to roast it
1 Tbsp olive oil plus 1/2 cup olive oil (I only used 1/4 cup but that did effect the texture)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
2 Tbsp chopped carrot
3 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 cup lentils
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used Chardonnay)
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp or more fresh lemon juice (I used three tiny little lemons)
How to
Roast the garlic
1) Preheat oven to 375*. Make a tin foil platter by folding tin foil into a square and making a bit of an edge. Cut the top half inch off the head of garlic and drizzle and place on the foil sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, then put into the oven. Roast for about 50 minutes - garlic will start to brown a bit. Don't let this concern you too much. When done, let garlic cool, and take out the roasted cloves. I did this by piercing them with a fork tine then pulling them out of the skin - they pull right out.
Warning: You should probably make a few heads of these if you are going to the trouble of roasting garlic. Roasted garlic is *amazing* and you are going to wish you had more to add to about anything and everything you eat. I even eat it straight out of the skin, with nothing else.
Preparing the dip ingredients
2) Heat 1/2 Tbsp olive oil in a lare heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrot, thyme, rosemary and bay leaf; season with salt and pepper. Leave herbs in sprig-form. Cook until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Note I was short on rosemary so I just used more thyme.
3) Add lentils, stir for two minutes.
4) Add wine, simmer until almost all is evaporated, about 4-5 minutes.
5) Pour in chicken broth to cover lentils. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer. Add more brothe every 5 or 10 minutes, as needed. Cook until lentils are tender - about 30 minutes.
6) Let cool and discard herbs.
7) Put lentil mixture and garlic cloves in a blender. Add 1/2 cup olive oil (I only added 1/4 cup olive oil, but this made the spread chunkier, so be warned) and lemon juice. I found the more lemon juice I added, the more delicious, so keep in mind you can add a lot. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve with carrots or other dipping vegetables, with pita or naan, or on sandwiches.
I finally finished the series, which is bittersweet. It ended well, but it is always a little sad when you have to say goodbye to characters and a series ends. I still have the movie to look forward to, which I am hoping to see in the next few weeks. Today I am going to go to the public library to look for something to read next. It will probably be something that doesn't capture as much attention (the newest murder mystery, perhaps?) so I can still manage to feed and clothe myself during the week :)
Yes, that is really the Boise Public Library above. So cute!
The Rock Center Cafe is at Rockefeller Center and is apparently a great place to eat, as it has stunning views of Manhanttan and the Rock Ice Skating Rink. They are known for their breakfasts and "contemporary American" lunches and dinners. The restaurant has a cute prix fixe menu to choose from for their skating and dinner combo - one appetizer, entree and dessert per person, plus an ice skating package. It is $45/person, but I have a feeling that isn't expensive for NYC.
I can't find the lentil dip on their menu, but the point is, I want you to feel like a fancy New Yorker, overlooking the city of Manhanttan, eating your $20 lentil dip, just because you can.
Lentil Spread
Ingredients
1 head of garlic - get the real stuff, not the preminced stuff. We are going to roast it
1 Tbsp olive oil plus 1/2 cup olive oil (I only used 1/4 cup but that did effect the texture)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
2 Tbsp chopped carrot
3 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 cup lentils
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used Chardonnay)
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp or more fresh lemon juice (I used three tiny little lemons)
How to
Roast the garlic
1) Preheat oven to 375*. Make a tin foil platter by folding tin foil into a square and making a bit of an edge. Cut the top half inch off the head of garlic and drizzle and place on the foil sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, then put into the oven. Roast for about 50 minutes - garlic will start to brown a bit. Don't let this concern you too much. When done, let garlic cool, and take out the roasted cloves. I did this by piercing them with a fork tine then pulling them out of the skin - they pull right out.
Warning: You should probably make a few heads of these if you are going to the trouble of roasting garlic. Roasted garlic is *amazing* and you are going to wish you had more to add to about anything and everything you eat. I even eat it straight out of the skin, with nothing else.
Preparing the dip ingredients
2) Heat 1/2 Tbsp olive oil in a lare heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrot, thyme, rosemary and bay leaf; season with salt and pepper. Leave herbs in sprig-form. Cook until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Note I was short on rosemary so I just used more thyme.
3) Add lentils, stir for two minutes.
4) Add wine, simmer until almost all is evaporated, about 4-5 minutes.
5) Pour in chicken broth to cover lentils. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer. Add more brothe every 5 or 10 minutes, as needed. Cook until lentils are tender - about 30 minutes.
6) Let cool and discard herbs.
7) Put lentil mixture and garlic cloves in a blender. Add 1/2 cup olive oil (I only added 1/4 cup olive oil, but this made the spread chunkier, so be warned) and lemon juice. I found the more lemon juice I added, the more delicious, so keep in mind you can add a lot. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve with carrots or other dipping vegetables, with pita or naan, or on sandwiches.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Warm Chickpea Salad
So it has been my goal to try and post every day. I haven't been sleeping well...could NOT fall asleep last night. However, even though I was really sleepy, my first real day in my department was awesome.
Once I get home, while I am still adjusting, I just want to veg out and watch TV and read magazines...but the one thing I still do almost every night is make myself dinner. Therefore, while I don't want this to necessarily be a food blog, I still want to post what I am up to, and I am always up to cooking something. Bear with me while I get adjusted and soon I will be out adventuring again!
Tonight's dinner was from Orangette. I had a vinegar dressing on my salad for lunch, and was craving some more vinegar flavor, plus had some carrots getting soft. It is also really warm out (despite pouring this morning) so I didn't want to slave over the stove.
Therefore, I made a warm chickpea salad with shallots and a red wine vinagrette.
The recipe calls for one large shallot. Albertsons had a pitiful shallot selection, so I used two tiny ones instead.
Then I put the shallots in a bowl with half a teaspoon of chopped garlic, three tablespoons red wine winegar, and some salt. It needed to sit for ten minutes. 
Those are chickpeas, not corn!
While that was blanching, I shredded one jumbo carrot, and chopped about half a bunch of Italian flat leaf parsley. My carrot shreds were a little too big...grating would have been a better option.
Then I added these vegetables and the shallot mixture to the chickpeas, along with third of a cup of olive oil and some salt and pepper. Voila'! Dinner was served. 
Once I get home, while I am still adjusting, I just want to veg out and watch TV and read magazines...but the one thing I still do almost every night is make myself dinner. Therefore, while I don't want this to necessarily be a food blog, I still want to post what I am up to, and I am always up to cooking something. Bear with me while I get adjusted and soon I will be out adventuring again!
Tonight's dinner was from Orangette. I had a vinegar dressing on my salad for lunch, and was craving some more vinegar flavor, plus had some carrots getting soft. It is also really warm out (despite pouring this morning) so I didn't want to slave over the stove.
Therefore, I made a warm chickpea salad with shallots and a red wine vinagrette.
The recipe calls for one large shallot. Albertsons had a pitiful shallot selection, so I used two tiny ones instead.
While this mixture was resting, I brought a pot of water to a boil and threw in two cans of chickpeas. You are supposed to "blanch them" which means make them white or pale by extracting color. All I did was boil for two minutes, rinse, and drain.
While that was blanching, I shredded one jumbo carrot, and chopped about half a bunch of Italian flat leaf parsley. My carrot shreds were a little too big...grating would have been a better option.
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