Roasted veggies for the veggiphobic

We eat a lot of vegetables, at least 5 servings a day, as part of me "practicing what I preach." Oh, plus we just really like vegetables. I can honestly say that we have been very successful in moving the meat portion of our meal out of the center of the plate.

Roasting is probably the most common thing we're doing these days. I don't think there's a vegetable in the world that can't be improved in a 450 degree oven. And these can hardly even be called recipes, once you do it once or twice, you start to improvise and experiment with whatever is lying around the house. The trick is the high oven temp and using just enough oil to lightly coat things -- we're not oven frying here.

Roasted Asparagus
Use really thick stalks, not the little stringy ones that come in spring. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper, rub with olive oil. Lay them all out flat on the baking sheet and put in a 450 degree oven. Watch them. Roll them around about every 8 minutes. When they are brown and green and crispy, pull them out and eat them.

Roasted Cauliflower
Cut up a head of cauliflower into mouth sized chunks. Toss with 1/8 cup of white wine vinegar, 1/8 cup of dijon or whole grain mustard, and 1/8 cup of olive oil. Spread on the baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast at 450 degrees until brown spots start to show, stirring them around every 10 minutes or so.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Quarter the sprouts, toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast until the outer leaves start to look crispy, tossing every 10 minutes or so. You can also chop some slab bacon into a small dice and toss that in with them.

Salmon Cakes for Valentine's Day

When I asked my mother what heart-shaped food she wanted for Valentine's Day, she did not hesitate a minute before she said... "salmon cakes." Not brownies, cupcakes, or caramels. Salmon cakes. I think I might be finally getting through to her. Anyway, this is a simple recipe that we've been eating a lot since last May, when we bought a case of canned salmon while we were in Alaska. The original recipe calls for cooking a fillet and flaking that, but the bones in the canned salmon give it that added shot of calcium. So that, the heart-healthy omega-3's, and the dark leafy greens along side of it, render a meal that is a little more in line with showing mom I love her than a box of chocolates.


Happy Valentine's Day! For a round-up of other heart shaped foods, go here:

http://kochtopf.twoday.net/stories/4625274/




Salmon Cakes

8 ounces salmon, canned or cooked fillet
4 T. chopped green onion
1/2 cup small dice red pepper
1 T mayonnaise
4 T sour cream
2 T lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
16 whole wheat crackers
4 T egg or egg substitute

Mix salmon, red pepper, green onion, mayo, sour cream, lemon juice and black pepper.
Turn the crackers into crumbs (with your hands, a food processor, a mallet) and add, with the egg, to the salmon mixture. If not using little heart shaped molds bought just for the occasion, divide the mixture into 4 balls, pat into patties, and saute in an oiled pan until crispy and brown on both sides.

Serve with sauteed spinach and a sauce made from 2 T sour cream, 1 T lemon juice, and Old Bay seasoning to taste.

Tomato Soup with Parmesan Black Pepper Biscotti

Sometimes I don't know what to say.

First of all, if my due date was exactly 10 months to the day after the daddy got out of prison -- I'm not going to brag about that it public.

Secondly, if I am 27 years old, and this is my ninth pregnancy, and only one infant has actually been born. And that baby was born preterm and low birth weight. And, if I smoke two packs of cigarettes a day, and have never bothered to cut during any of these previous pregnancies. I would think that somewhere before my seventh miscarriage I might have started to see a connection.

Thirdly, I would like to remind everyone that a vasectomy scheduled in the future is not birth control today. A direct quote from the single client today, who exhibited all of the above behavior: "Well, we had the vasectomy scheduled for the 30th, so we didn't think I was gonna get pregnant."

Really, what can I possibly say to this parent?

Sometimes a client just stymies me and I kind of flounder in my seat for a moment, trying to think of the proper approach. I always want my clients to feel I'm on their side, otherwise nothing I say is going to penetrate. I can't make them defensive of their parenting skills. So, while what I wanted to say was "Well, call us if this baby manages to survive, and we'll get it on the program too, because I can't even imagine you are going to breastfeed, so obviously you will be needing some formula." What I actually did say was "I'm just so worried about your history, but make sure you're keeping up with your prenatal appointments and follow your doctor's advice. Make sure you're getting the nutrition you and the baby both need, and God forbid, if something happens, let us know that too. We want to make sure you recover from this pregnancy, and even if something happens, you'll still be kept on the program until you are six months postpartum."

I always know it's almost time to plan a vacation when I find myself still angry at a client when I get home at night. So anger, combined with cold, means soup to me. I needed a bowl of soothing warm something to make the day go away. I had recently found a recipe on Tastespotting for a savory biscotti made with black pepper and parmesan, and the results of that experiment were waiting in the freezer. Also in the freezer was a bag of mixed ends of canned tomatoes -- where I only needed part of a can, so I kept throwing the leftovers into the same bag together -- some puree, some chopped, some strained.

I wanted to add some blue cheese, but there was nothing usable in the cheese tray. Instead, I went with some of the Alder Smoked Sea Salt I was experimenting with this summer on corn and tomatoes. It really lent a big meaty taste to the soup. I was very happy with the results, and a big mug of soup, some cheesy biscotti, and sitting under a blanket with my dog on my feet went a long way toward making my world right again.


Smoky Tomato Soup

2 T olive oil
3 1/2 oz. red onion, small dice
3 1/4 oz. celery, small dice
2 3/4 oz. carrots, small dice
4 3/8 oz. white potato, small dice
3/8 oz. garlic, smashed

Sweat as long as you can stand it with salt and pepper, until everything is just really limp.

1/2 c. pinot grigot (or whatever white wine is lying about)

Add and scrape up any bits of potato that may have gotten stuck to the bottom of the pan.

2 1/2 c. canned tomato parts (puree, chopped, sauce, whatever you have on hand)
1 t. smoked sea salt

Add all, let simmer about 30 minutes. Puree in batches. Return to pot.

1 cup broth (again, whatever flavor you want)

Add until soup is desired consistency. Adjust seasonings. Serve hot with something to dip in it.

Spiced Cod with Vegetables

Like most health minded people, we are trying to eat more fish. Or, I am trying to convince my mother to eat more fish. We are making headway.

When I moved home, Tilapia and Grouper, along with a variety of shellfish were pretty much the only fish she would agree to when she saw fish on the menu. I tried salmon first, and after a few misteps, I found a reliable recipe in Cooking Light that she would not only eat, but would occassionally request. I tried tuna next. Oh, how I wanted to be able to cook a nice tuna steak with some silky pureed vegetables and edamame. But it was not to be. Tuna was rejected rare, medium-rare, medium, and well-done. I should have know, being as my mother has long been an outspoken enemy of canned tuna, but I thought the fresh thing would change her tune, as it had changed me all those years ago.

Monkfish is the only resounding success I have ever had. Monkfish is most emphatically not a Florida fish, so a few ounces runs a huge chunk of my protein budget. I think I could probably buy actual lobster at the same price. But, it's her new favorite fish, though a rarity at my local stores.

So, this week is cod, and I loved the idea of this recipe. Many many vegetables on a cold day where I want to fell full of warm, healthy food. I actually pretty much just followed the recipe this time, but I'm already making changes in my head. I didn't have green beans, so I added a tomato to the veggies. I also parcooked the potatoes and carrots in the microwave first. Now, we both like roasted vegetables very much, so next time I'll roast all the veg much longer, and add the fish when I think it's 15 minutes out.

All told, this plus four cups of mixed green salad, which probably wasn't needed, cost me about 520 calories. There are 5 1/2 servings of vegetables in this recipe, 1 1/2 bread/starch, and 3 very lean meat. There are 3 servings of fat in there also, but that really depends on where you use the oil. I halved it on the fish and left it off the vegetables all together. The recipe reflects the full amount though.

Spiced Cod with Vegetables

8 ounces cod, raw
1/2 teaspoon cumin, ground
1/4 teaspoon ginger, ground
1/4 teaspoon paprika
6 teaspoons olive oil, extra virgin
1/2 pound potato, raw
20 baby carrots
1/2 pound green beans, cooked
1/2 pound zucchini
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoon cilantro, fresh
2 tablespoon green onion, chopped

Preparation
Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the fish on the prepared baking sheet.
In a small bowl, combine cumin, ginger and paprika. Stir in 1 teaspoon of the olive oil. Brush both sides of the fish with the seasoned oil. Cover the fish loosely and refrigerate while you prepare vegetables.
Wash potatoes and cut into chunks; wash and trim green beans; and wash and cut zucchini into 1/4-inch thick diagonal slices. Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan and add enough water to cover; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Add carrots to saucepan, cover and cook for 2 minutes. Add the green beans and cook, uncovered for 1 minute. Drain the vegetables in a colander.
Transfer drained vegetables to a large bowl and add the zucchini, black pepper and remaining 2 teaspoons of oil; toss to combine. Spread vegetables out in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan or a shallow baking dish and bake for 15 minutes. Place the fish on top of the vegetables and bake for 10 to 15 minutes longer, or until fish flakes easily with a fork and vegetables are tender.
Sprinkle with freshly chopped cilantro and green onion prior to serving.