Baked Chicken with Almond Apricot Couscous

This baked chicken is sort of a family recipe on my mom's side. T and I used boneless, skinless breasts that we pierced a few times with a fork and then rubbed with olive oil, dried basil, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper. They baked at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. Couscous has been our favorite summer grain and here we cooked a batch in chicken stock with onion, dried apricot, chopped almond and butter. Lastly, okra's in season and we sauteed some with a little onion and spinach for a little green earthy goodness.

Gotcha' Some Focaccia Num

T. baked a rosemary focaccia this weekend that turned out like a dream- a light golden outer crust with a pillowy soft interior. While he was at it, I marinated tofu and mixed veggies in a little olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh basil, and lemon zest. As the bread cooled on the rack, we got to work on the grill. This tasty stacked dinner sammy was layered high on the sliced focaccia with fresh greens, the grilled tofu and veggies, a little grated parmesan and garlic aoli.

Rosemary Focaccia (Gourmet Magazine 2002)
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/106275

Curry-licious

I've always been fascinated, if not a little intimidated, by the innumerable ways to build a curry. This one began like many of our meals at N3, by improvising with whatever is left in the fridge. Onion, garlic, jalapeno and ginger were softened in a little oil, to which we then added bell pepper, okra, tofu, and corn. When the tofu was lightly browned we added chicken stock, tomato paste, turmeric, coriander, cumin, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Covered, the whole batch simmered for about 15 minutes, adding a little water here and there. We paired it with Israeli couscous and garnished with fresh chopped mint.

Cauliflower Pesto

During my commute last Friday, I had the pleasure of hearing the delightful chef Monique Jamet Hooker on the WI Public Radio show Here on Earth: Radio Without Borders hosted by Jean Feraca. While getting me fired up over canning, pickling, and freezing summer's current garden bounty, she mentioned this recipe for cauliflower pesto that I was eager to experiment with asap. In short, we blanched a small head of cauli and then gave it a rough chop in the cuisninart. Then separately, we ground together raw almonds, garlic, and lemon juice. We then combined the cauli, nut mix, and parmesan back in the cuisninart, seasoned with salt and pepper, and blended together while drizzling in about 1 cup of olive oil. We paired it with a penne and garnished with a little fresh basil and lemon zest. The sort of aromatic rawness of the cauliflower is accented nicely by the raw garlic and almond. It's also working nicely on toasted bruscetta. Thanks Monique!

For more info: http://www.moniquescuisine.com/

Triple Hitter

Today was a rainy Saturday outside, but a nummy cooking day inside. Three delicious meals came together sort of effortlessly thanks in part to today's farmer's market bounty and to T. and I's exquisite culinary 'pas de deux'. From top to bottom: 1) Poached eggs on mesclun greens and toast with a balsamic dijon vinaigrette; 2) Roasted veggie ratatouille of Thai eggplant, standard eggplant, garlic, white onion, sweet red and purple bell pepper, fresh herbs, and nutmeg; 3) Braised chicken with a red wine sauce, chilled ratatouille, steamed long beans, and pasta with a cauliflower pesto. Yes! Cauliflower- check back tomorrow when we'll take a closer look at this novel use of the white knight of the kingdom Vegetable.

Quick Pickles

Back in my hardcore macrobiotic days, these quick pickles were a daily part of my diet. In the years since I loosened the reins on my yin and yang, I continued to crave these every so often when the weather is hot or I'm feeling a little hungover. This easy recipe is modified from several macro cookbooks and years of experimenting. First, find a nice selection of root and/or vine veggies such as cucumber, red radish, summer squash, red bell pepper, or red onion. For this batch I combined daikon, carrot, and bitter melon. Chop them into thin rounds or half-moons- so they'll lie flat when being pressed. Put everything in a large bowl and toss with a few tablespoons of sea salt. Next put a smaller size bowl on top of the whole mix and weight down. I keep a few 10lb. weights in the kitchen, but I've been known to pile a teetering tower of cookbooks and canned goods on top as well. (There are, of course, actual inexpensive pickle presses, but it makes me feel a little butch to have weights in the kitchen, ok?) So after about 45 minutes to an hour, the salt will have pulled much of the water from the veggies, but they'll still be nice and crispy. I like to pour off the water and give them a decent rinse in the colander (some recipes call for just pouring the water off, but not rinsing, which I find to be a bit salty). Squeeze out the excess water, a handful at a time, and return to bowl. Finally, toss them with a little rice vinegar- for a more traditional macro version- otherwise I like to also add a little brown sugar, red pepper flakes, and chili sauce (much to Michio's dismay, I'm sure!). Did I mention that these are also great digestives? Num on!

Britta's Peanut Butter Cookies

We get too many magazines at N3, but some are hard to do without. For example, the July 2007 issue of GOURMET: The Magazine of Good Living is brimming with so much gastronomic goodness that the subscription nearly paid for itself in numnumnums. This weekend we tried out a PB cookie recipe featured in their article on Lummi Island, WA. We cut it in half which is where things went a little awry, and it yielded slightly drier cookies than T. and I prefer (but nothing a glass of cold soy milk couldn't fix). We decided more peanut butter and less baking time could possibly crown these true cookie royals. Christen a batch yourself here: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/238964

Okra, Cherry Tomato, Jalapeno

This is a quick veggie stir-fry a friend brought over for a group dinner. The combination of flavors and textures was truly memorable.

Cumin Seed Tofu, Garlic Greens, Sweet-Tart Beets

In between our béchamels and buttercreams, we like to work in what we think of as 'clean' meals. Case in point: nothing does a body better than a simple combo of tofu, veggies, and rice after a gluttonous weekend spree. Here we slice 3/4" tofu cutlets and let them get a crispy tan under the broiler with a brush of olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, and cumin seed. Next, pea greens get a lite sauté with fresh garlic. We round out the trio with steamed beets that are dressed in rice vinegar and mirin. I feel healthier just looking at it. Num!

The Hibbs Salad

So you've all heard about the Cobb Salad, but have you heard about its plucky veggie sister- the Hibbs Salad? Named for one of N3's biggest fans- this fresh medley includes arugula, romaine, grated carrots and beets, blueberries, strawberries, and thin shavings of sheep's milk cheese. Topped with an orange vinaigrette, its summer on a plate!

Potstickers

Here at N3, we're big fans of America's Test Kitchen. This past episode they featured their own potstickers recipe and we were inspired to give it a try. Yeeummm.

http://www.americastestkitchen.com/login.asp?did=3332&LoginForm=recipe&iSeason=7

Who's Your Baba?!

I've had the 'hunger' for eggplant all season. The strong color, the voluptuous shape, the firm skin, the pillowy flesh, all come together in such an agreeable fashion as to support the tastes of its neighbors while delivering its own mildly musky smoothness. With that tiny voice in my ear whispering 'baba', I set off this summer to really perfect my ganoush. This is my third batch in the last month and I think it's the best. This time, with T. on board, we roasted thick slices of eggplant- slathered with a little olive oil at 450° for about 40 minutes, turning occasionally. Separately in the cuisanart: fresh basil, mint, tahini, fresh garlic, lemon juice were mixed, with olive oil drizzled in while the blade's spinning. When the e.p. came out of the oven, nicely roasted and silky-soft, we scooped the flesh into a large bowl and let it cool. Then we folded in the tahini-herb mixture and seasoned with s-n-p. (In earlier batches I added the eggplant to the cuisinart, which ofcourse yielded a velvety texture, but downplayed the texture of the e.p., which I think is a nice part of this dish.)

We also made our first batches of homemade crackers. Following the easy recipe in the Bittman's How to Cook Everything, we made two kinds- cumin seed and pepper; Chinese 5 spice and sesame. NUMNUMNUM!

Farmer's Market Bounty

Tempeh-Kimchee Hash 'n Eggs

A friend recently gave us a jar of her homemade kimchee and, aside from looking just perfectly lovely in our fridge, it tastes delicious- a little lighter than some- piquant but not too heady. I've been looking for ways to work it into all of our meals (next attempt: the P.B. and K.C. sammy). Last night I was cooking for one and found yet another way to admire this Korean gem- sauteed with tempeh in a little sesame oil. Paired with two basted eggs and toast. Num x 3.

Spinach Protein Smoothie

I was recently turned on to adding frozen spinach to my smoothies by a trainer at my gym. The leaves get nicely macerated in the blender and release their mild sweetness. Other ingredients in what's also been known as the "garbage pail" smoothie include lite or unsweetened soy milk, soy protein powder, whole flax seed, fresh or frozen banana, frozen strawberries (T and I picked this summer), and spirulina powder. Occasional add-ins include: raw sunflower seeds, raw pumpkin seeds, fresh OJ or carrot juice, fresh apple, frozen blueberries, peanut or cashew butter, tahini, or a pinch of gomasio. NUM!

Squash Blossom Salad

This is actually a salad we made a few summers ago, but I've been thinking about it lately and decided to dig out the images from the NUMNUMNUM archives. My grandfather was a great gardener and I remember him preparing squash blossoms in many ways- scrambled with eggs, tossed with roasted peppers, or just sauteed on their own with a little olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. That summer, we were housesitting for some friends with a great garden and picked these fresh blossoms for a yummy antipasto. We decided to make a light flour batter and give them a 'gentle' deep fry. The petals cooked just enough to render a silkiness that contrasted nicely with the crunchy coating. They topped this mixed salad of greens, blanched broccoli, hard-boiled eggs, yellow cherry tomatoes, red onions, and grated romano, dressed with olive oil, s-n-p, and lemon juice. Num!

PS. We've also done a variation of this where we stuffed the blossoms with a mixture of ground pork and red chilis- served as an appetizer- turned out very well. And lastly, if you're picking the blossoms fresh, make sure to look for bumble bees chilling out on the inside before cooking!