Superfood Salad

What is a superfood, and what makes them "super"?

Known for their insane health benefits, these little nutrient powerhouses are filled with vitamins, minerals, polyphenols, and antioxidants. Many of them neutralize free radicals, and can contain phytonutrients that can work to prevent certain kinds of cancer. They are the ultimate foods, the ones that you can eat mountains of and never really feel guilty about. Why can't all food be that way? Like brownies, yum.

In truth I don't pay much attention to eating superfoods every day. Sure I'll have some kale in my salad, and some walnuts as a snack, but I don't make entire meals devoted to them - mainly because it's just so damn expensive.  Truly, one of the pit falls to healthy eating nowadays largely has to do with the pretty penny that goes along with it. As much as I wish I could say that I regularly wag my finger in the general direction of those who spend their evenings (and money) eating fast food, I feel like I can't. I get it. I'm a 23 year old girl who just graduated from college, piled high with student debt, and living on a service member volunteer salary. While my SNAP benefits definitely help along the way with providing food to put on my table, I spend a lot of my time in the grocery store weighing the cost of the item versus the level of need that it has in my diet. Sometimes it's hard for me to justify spending money on certain foods given their price and my limited budget, but sometimes it's worth it and I like to think that this salad is definitely one of those "worth it" meals.

So, the other day as I was contemplating whether or not I wanted to eat my last serving of matar paneer (which if you haven't checked out that recipe you should), I realized that I had unknowingly picked up everything that I needed to make this. Several of these food items are just staples for me - I love kale, carrots are a must, blueberries are my favorite to put in smoothies, I love craisins on salads, and walnuts are good brain/snacking food. So after a breakfast comprised of a homemade biscuit topped with a fried egg, gooey cheese, and hot salty bacon I decided that my diet could use a little TLC. Enter the superfood salad! It is earthy, nutty, and sweet. Everything a good salad should be. Give it a try, you won't be disappointed.

Superfood Salad

Prep Time: 15 min          Cook Time: 0 min          Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients: 

6-8 large stalks of kale, taken off of the stem and chopped or torn 

1 large carrot, peeled and julienned 

1 cup blueberries 

1/2 cup craisins 

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped 

Directions:

Remove the kale from the stem and give it a rough chop or tear it in to large pieces and add it to a large mixing bowl. 

Next you want to peel you carrot and cut it into long thin strips - this technique is known as a julienne. Add the carrot to the mixing bowl with the kale and then finish off by toping with the blueberries, craisins, and walnuts. I normally eat this salad just by it's self but if you want a snazzy dressing to go along with this, the food blogger Oh She Glows makes a really good vegan green goddess dressing. I'll leave the link HERE!

Have a happy weekend! 

Jules

Matar Paneer

Truth time - you may have seen this recipe posted before.

Thats because this throwback appeared here on the blog about 2 years ago. Yes thats how long it's been since I have really made any effort at this. For those of you who don't know I actually started this page during my junior year in college. In all honesty this was never meant to be a serious blog. In the beginning I was simply looking for a place to jot down recipes that I had tried or created to share them with my friends and family. Instead it turned into a journey chronicling a poor college student's escapades in the kitchen. The dream was to show people that you can be broke and make beautiful, healthy, delicious food that didn't come from a box and was without a flavor packet. But sadly I just didn't have much time to devote to posting, so the blogging dream died just about as quickly as it began.

Now that I've graduated from college and I have a job that doesn't involve waiting tables until 11pm, I feel as though I can really roll up my sleeves and begin enjoying this again. If you can't tell, cooking is a passion of mine. The feeling of standing at a stove and playing with ingredients, chopping vegetables, smelling the aroma of the food, and then being able to share it with those that I love is one of the greatest feelings. Food and cooking is what inspired me to get my degree in nutrition and subsequently what led me to pursue a position with FoodCorps. The appreciation of food in all of its forms, from field to table, is something that I feel many people nowadays have forgotten about. We've built this huge fast paced society solely focused on convenience that's led to us neglecting the simple things like taking care of ourselves - mind, body, and soul. I only hope that by sharing a piece of me and my passion I can inspire others to find what they are also passionate about - and if some good food is a result then it's certainly a win-win.

Getting back on track to this recipe. Indian food has always been a favorite of mine. The smell of the warm spices permeate every room and leave me with happy memories of sitting around a table with my two best friends from college, laughing, sharing baskets of naan, and of course devouring everything from pakora to dal. Since we are now all grown up and living in separate places its nice to sit down to a meal that reminds me of my friends and leaves me more excited for our reunion (FRIENDSGIVING 2016 - it's going to be epic). Maybe you can share this recipe with your friends or loved ones and make some memories around the table as well. 

Matar Paneer 

Prep Time: 30 min          Cook Time: 4 hours          Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients: 

Paneer
1/2 gallon whole milk
2 cups full fat buttermilk
2 cups of canola

Gravy
1/2 white onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBSP minced ginger root
2 TBSP canola oil
1 TBSP and 1 tsp garam masala
1/2 TBSP curry powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 bay leaf
1 TBSP brown sugar
The juice and zest of 1 lime
1 pint light cream or whole milk
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup green peas
Garnish with chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste 

Directions:

In a large pot, bring the whole milk up to a boil. Before it can boil over, take it off the heat and stir constantly while adding the buttermilk. The milk solids should begin to separate from the whey forming curds.

Stir the curds for a few minutes, then pour the mix into a cheese cloth or towel lined colander. Let the liquid drain from the milk solids for about an hour and a half before twisting the cheese cloth to dry the curds more. Once your curds are adequately drained take a small pan, line it plastic wrap, and dump the curds in pressing them down firmly to form an even single layer. Pop the paneer in to the fridge until you are ready to fry them.

With the paneer in the refrigerator setting and getting firm you can now begin to make the gravy. Start by sautéing the onion, garlic, and ginger root with 2 TBSP of canola oil over medium heat. You want to cook them until the onions are translucent and breaking down.

Next add the garam masala, curry powder, and turmeric. "Toast" the spices with the veggies for about a minute or until they are very aromatic and then add the brown sugar, and tomato paste. The tomato paste will kind of melt around the veggies with the brown sugar.

Add the cream, yogurt, water, and bay leaf. Give the sauce a good stir being sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to get any little extra bits of flavor that are trying to escape you before adding the lime juice, zest, and crushed red pepper. If you don't like things too spicy then you can just omit the red pepper. Let this simmer for about an hour being sure to taste it and season accordingly.

While your gravy is cooking, grab another large pot with high sides and heat the 2 cups of canola oil. Carefully cut small pieces of the prepared paneer and fry until slightly golden brown. Then add the fried little cheese jewels directly to the pan of curry and combine making sure that you are not breaking up the paneer. At the very end add your frozen peas and allow them to warm through. I add my peas at the end because I personally like to allow them to retain their bright green color. Serve over some rice, or with naan and garnish with some fresh chopped cilantro. 

I'm just saying y'all this recipe is dynamite! Give it try! 

-Jules

Autumn Wild Rice Salad

Autumn has finally come to North Carolina. 

Pumpkins, changing leaves, crisp air, sweater weather, football season and the excitement of the holidays just around the corner — all of these things excite me about fall. While seasons seem to be more of a suggestion rather than an actual thing down here in the South, once fall rolls around I suddenly feel like things get a little better, a little slower, and just a little happier. That's not only because the scorching hot southern sun decides to take a break from roasting us in North Carolina, but because suddenly the time spent out and about are centered around simpler things like having a cup of coffee, reading a good book in front of the fire, and of course spending real uninterrupted time with friends and family.

During fall I feel more thankful. It's always been the time of new beginnings — new school year, new jobs, and new opportunities to find happiness. Even though the year seems to be dwindling away I tend to feel the most inspired for positive change during this special season. Whether it's promising to blog more, deciding to take time to reflect and meditate, or just making a commitment to get back to the gym — fall just sends good vibes! 

For me of course, being the little cook that I am, one of my favorite things about fall is the food. Now that I am working for FoodCorps and managing several school gardens, I have the wonderful opportunity to plant and harvest seasonal vegetables and help others around me find ways to appreciate these gifts. My favorites are dark leafy greens, winter squash, beets, apples, and cabbage. It's undeniable that these earthy and delectable little treats spice up a menu and of course make for a wildly beautiful plate. Take for instance this rice salad I made the other day, it's full of fall goodies. What's not to love about something so perfect? 

Autumn Wild Rice Salad

Prep Time: 20 min          Cook Time: 1hr  15 min       Yield: 6 Servings      

Ingredients:

1 Cup wild rice — cook to package instructions
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 of a small butternut squash
1 beet
1 Cup brussel sprouts cut into quarters
1/4 cup craisins
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 TBSP of freshly squeezed orange juice and the zest of the orange
Salt and pepper
A crumbling cheese of your choice, I chose feta but goat cheese or gorgonzola would probably be really good as well.

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Scrub your beet root to remove the dirt before wrapping it in tin foil and popping it into oven for 45 min - 1 hr. You'll know your beet root is ready when it is fork tender.

After your beet root has gone into the oven, cut your butternut squash in half and remove the seeds and guts from one side, peel the skin and cube. (Save the other half for pasta sauce or just some roasted butternut squash deliciousness!) Toss with 1 TBSP of extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, and place on a baking dish. Pop into oven about 15 minutes after the beet root has been it. You want to allow the butternut squash to become tender and caramelize around the edges. It should take around 30 minutes

At this point you can go ahead and put your wild rice on to boil. Add the diced onion to the pot along with 1 bay leaf. My rice took about 25-30 minutes to cook. It's ok if it finishes before the vegetables because this "salad" tastes better when it is warm/room temperature rather than piping hot. While your rice is boiling, cut your brussel sprouts into quarters, and toss with another TBSP of olive oil as well as more salt and pepper. After allowing the butternut squash to roast for about 15 minutes, go ahead and throw the brussel sprouts onto the pan with them and let the two cook together for the remaining 15 minutes.

Your beet, butternut squash, brussel sprouts, and rice should all be done around the same time. Let the beet root cool for about 10 minutes before peeling and cutting into cubes.

While the beet root is cooling, combine the remaining olive oil to the freshly squeezed orange juice and orange zest. In a large bowl combine the vegetables, rice, craisins, and "dressing". Don't forget to remove the bay leaf from the rice! The very last step is to taste for seasoning and then top with a crumbling cheese of your choice. I chose feta. It provides a nice nutty, salty balance to the salad.

Try it out! It's earthy, sweet, savory and just damn delicious!

Let me know what you think.
Jules

Sweet Potato Ricotta Gnocchi

Gnocchi.

It's easily one of my favorite "pasta dishes. These fluffy little potato pillows melt in your mouth and can be paired with so many fun sauce and meal combinations. Pesto, brown butter, tomato sauce, meat sauce, soups, baked, pan fried the list goes on and I love all of them! This funny little dumpling gets it name from the Italian word nocca which means 'knuckles".  Do you see knuckles when you look at these little guys? All I see is a plate full of happiness. I also see happiness when I look at cats... meow - it's the little things in life y'all.

To preface this post, this was my very first experience making gnocchi. I am certainly not going to pretend that I am an expert gnocchi maker and that I got this recipe from an Italian grandmother (largely because I don't have one). But let me just tell you how easy and fun it was to make these little babies. Aside from my hands being caked in an orangish dough this gnocchi required minimal effort and the pay off was so worth it. Now I will admit that before this I felt absolutely zero shame in going to my local super market and picking up a pack of that vacuumed sealed gnocchi. I thought I had found the real deal, but no. After making this I realized how gummy, chewy, and overly starchy my once favorite gnocchi was. Guess we have another thing to thank preservatives for, right?! I have now come to realize that my life has essentially been a shame thus far, and knowing that I can create a dazzling product with just a few simple ingredients is so worth it.

Speaking of ingredients. Good gnocchi should be able to be made with as few ingredients as possible. If your potatoes are cooked the right way, and yes there is a right way, they should should be so soft that when mashing them they almost turn into baby food. With all that additional moisture you should be able to form your dough with just the potatoes, flour, and salt. But I'm a rebel and couldn't stand the thought of just making your old run of the mill gnocchi - no, I just had to be special so I added heaps and heaps of whole milk ricotta and a few chives to my dough for just a little extra flare.

Now just to spice things up a little more I decided that my little gnocchi babies were going to get bathed in a nutty and delicious brown butter. I know, I know. You are all probably asking yourself why you didn't get invited to this one person dinner party? Well, because then it wouldn't be a one person party and also because it would have really sucked if these things didn't turn out good. Thankfully they did.

The end product is a fluffy, beautiful gnocchi that melts in your mouth and leaves you desirous for more. Try it for yourself and tell me that I'm wrong. I dare you.

Sweet Potato Ricotta Gnocchi with Brown Butter

Prep Time: 1 hr 30 min          Cook Time: 15 min          Yield: 8 servings 

Ingredients:

Gnocchi Dough
3 and 1/4 cups of flour plus additional for kneading.
12 oz whole milk ricotta
1 sweet potato peeled and cubed
1 yukon gold potato peeled and cubed
1 tsp salt
herbs of your choice - I added some chives because I had them but fresh thyme would also be tasty

Brown Butter
2 TBSP butter
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper


Directions:

In a large pot bring your water to a boil and add a generous amount of salt. Add your sweet potatoes and yukon potato and allow to cook for 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes can be pierced and mashed. Drain and allow to cool.

Once the potatoes have cooled mash them until smooth and add 12 oz of whole milk ricotta, herbs of your choice, and 1 tsp of salt. Mix the ricotta, potatoes, herbs, and salt until well combined.

In 1 cup additions begin to add the flour. Don't over mix the dough. If you start kneading up a storm and activate the glutens in the flour you can and will end up with a stiff dough which will not be conducive for the adequate gnocchi experience.

Once you have a smooth dough ball cut it into 8th's. Now this recipes makes a lot of gnocchi, but thats ok because this dough should last in the refrigerator for about a week. Once you have your fraction of the dough ball add a little extra flour to your counter top and begin to roll it out into a long snake - you know like what you did with play dough as a kid?! You can determine how plump you want your gnocchi to be - I personally like them a little larger.

Cut your gnocchi into bite size pieces then with the back of a fork, roll the gnocchi downwards to create those pretty ridges. Fun fact of the day. In case you all didn't know the ridges of pasta do in fact have an actual job. They are responsible for holding the sauce on the pasta!

Once you have all your gnocchi cut and rolled place them on a baking pan dusted with some extra flour and let them rest for 30-40 min. Yes you have to wait. I think by doing this it allows the dough to relax which lends to that "melt in your mouth" feeling and tenderness of the dumpling. But if you are just starving then go ahead and boil those babies. You'll know your gnocchi is done when it floats to the top of the water - it only took about 3-4 minutes for mine.

Towards the end of the resting period and before you cook your gnocchi you can begin to make your brown butter sauce. In a large skillet add your butter, garlic, salt, and pepper. Allow the butter to brown but do not burn it! By browning the butter you are allowing it to take on a delightful nutty flavor. Yum.

Once your gnocchi are done bubbling away add the dumplings directly from the simmering water to the brown butter sauce and combine well. Do not drain your gnocchi, actually don't ever drain your pasta. The additional starchy water that is clinging to your gnocchi in addition to the butter will make a creamy, velvetey sauce across the pasta.

Top with some extra herbs, maybe a dollop of fresh ricotta, or a sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan cheese, and enjoy!

Try this recipe and tell me what you think.

By the way - for previous readers, I am in the process of revamping this site and redoing many of the recipes that I have posted in the past. Don't be alarmed if one of your favorites is gone; it will be back soon!

Stay sassy,
Jules