Perfectly cooked rice is a thing of beauty. 90% of the time, I serve it unadorned alongside some other dish I’ve spent time on (like this crispy tofu and brussels hash!). But every so often I’m reminded that rice itself can be the star.
A recent picture on Yotam Ottolenghi’s instagram feed was just the inspiration I needed to dress up a pot of jasmine rice this week.
Continue reading “SPICED RICE WITH CRISPY SHALLOTS, TOASTED ALMONDS AND YOGURT”
Kale and squash are two of my kitchen staples in the fall and winter. In fact, they have already been so heavily in rotation around here that you’d think I was on a mission to see how quickly I can burn myself out. (For the record, I’m not even close.)
While they are a perfect match in salad, sometimes a girl just wants pasta – kale pesto pasta with roasted butternut squash and mint to be exact. The kale lends its signature grassy flavor to the pesto, which is captured by the curves and grooves of al dente fusilli. The deeply roasted butternut squash provides caramelized sweetness and the mint a hit of freshness.
Continue reading “KALE PESTO PASTA WITH ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND MINT”
Now that the weather is a bit cooler, slow roasting vegetables is my ideal type of weekend prep – a couple of sheet trays loaded with barely prepped produce, an oven set to a low temperature and a long cooking time that leaves little room for error or need for attention. Slow roasted vegetables are luxurious in texture and intense in flavor. Almost all vegetables can be cooked this way (though maybe not the potato family) and can be used in a multitude of dishes. I’m sharing how I used four of them below.
Continue reading “SLOW ROASTED VEGETABLES AND HOW TO USE THEM”
Guest post by Caroline Markowitz – MS candidate in nutrition and exercise physiology at Columbia University
Grocery stores and farmers markets display signs touting “organic” and “local” above their produce. But so many of us feel fraught with confusion. Is eating organic always better? What if something is local but not organic, what should I choose? What does it all mean? The questions feel never ending. In a recent NYTimes “Climate Fwd” newsletter, Eduardo Garcia and Lisa Friedman explain that organic farming can have an equal (if not greater) carbon footprint than conventional farming; however, organic farming is likely better for the planet overall because it does not use synthetic herbicides and pesticides that conventional farming relies on.
Conventional agriculture: “a broad term that has a number of definitions, but a crop can be classified as conventional if synthetic chemicals are used to maintain the plants. A significant amount of chemical and energy input is required in conventional agriculture to produce the highest possible yield of crops.”
Organic agriculture: “Organic farmers, ranchers, and food processors use agricultural methods intended to preserve the environment. USDA organic regulations restrict the use of certain conventional tools such as synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.”
Local farming: “Local farming means short distribution channels – channels involving no more than one intermediary between farm and consumer. Local farming is aimed at, among other things, reducing the distances travelled by fruits and at reestablishing the relationship between consumer and farmer.”
Continue reading “ORGANIC, CONVENTIONAL, LOCAL – WHAT TO CHOOSE?”
There are a lot of things I love about the fall. Football, colorful crunchy leaves, thick socks and most of all – the abundance of pumpkin EVERYTHING. As I was going through Yotam Ottolenghi’s new cook book, “Sweet”, I stumbled upon a delish spice cake recipe that uses pumpkin pie spice! So in the spirit of Halloween, I had to test it.
Growing up, my mom would make the most delicious spice cakes every year (she’s an amazing baker and constantly gets asked to make her famous rum cakes, spice cakes and chocolate rolls). So, as I try to channel my mom and Ottolenghi, here is what I came up with! Of course I had to give it a flare, so I added toasted hazelnuts, fresh sage and dates to the batter. And let me tell you, the kitchen smelled AMAZING.
Recipe
¾ cup butter, at room temperature
¾ packed cup dark brown sugar
¾ packed cup light brown sugar
finely grated zest of 1 large orange
3 large eggs
½ cup sour cream
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 heaping tsp pumpkin pie spice (YUM)
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp apple cider vin
Rian’s Mix In’s (add anything you like! )
2 tbsp chopped fresh sage
¼ cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
½ cup sliced dates
1 tsp flour
Method
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, sour cream and vanilla extract until smooth
4. In another separate bowl (lots of bowls!), sift the flour, pumpkin pie spice and salt together.
5. In alternate batches, slowly mix the egg mixture and flour mixture in with the butter and sugars. When almost combined, stir the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl until it fizzes and add to the mixture.
6. In my version of the recipe, I added in toasted hazelnuts, dates and chopped sage to the batter! Stir the additional ingredients with a pinch of flour. This will ensure that they won’t sink to the bottom of the cake. Mix to combine.
7. Scrape the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-55 minutes.
8. Allow the cake to cool and serve with a glass of wine or a hot coffee (I prefer the wine). I smothered mine with homemade butternut squash and cream cheese icing, but the cake itself can stand alone. Enjoy! And have the happiest Halloween!!
xoxo,
Rian