Grilled Cabbage with Honey Mustard Dressing [MMAZ]

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Pas de Duex Blog

Let’s talk about cabbage.

The humble cabbage (plus honey mustard dressing)

Such a funny, unassuming (and perhaps under-rated) vegetable. Prior to this winter, I’m not sure if I had ever purchased a whole head of cabbage. Pre-shredded bags of coleslaw mix, sure, but a head of cabbage? Probably not…

This winter, however, I discovered the joys of cabbage, both green and purple, after receiving a head cabbage in a Bounty Box from Relay Foods. Unsure of what to do with my cabbage, I turned to the blog world, where I was inspired by Sarah to cut my cabbage into wedges and roast it in the oven. The resulting wedge salad I created was terrific, and I realized that as with most vegetables, roasting a cabbage is the way to go–the natural sugars caramelize, creating a delicious result. A cabbage is, after all, pretty much just a large brussels sprout, and who doesn’t love roasted brussels sprouts?!

Grilling cabbage

When my parents came into town this weekend and our talks turned to dinner cooked on our new grill, I remembered the lovely savoy cabbages that I had seen at the City Market the past few weeks and began dreaming about grilled cabbage, topped with a dressing inspired by Tim‘s idea for a cashew cream veggie dip and Sarah‘s honey mustard dressing. The result was superb–crispy edges, soft interior, and a dressing with a perfect amount of sweetness, tanginess, and body. It’s a perfect spring recipe as the weather warms to grilling temperatures, but the last of the winter veggies are still lingering at the market.

Grilled Cabbage with Honey Mustard Dressing

Grilled Cabbage with Honey Mustard Dressing

Ingredients

One head of (savoy) cabbage

Olive oil

1/4 cup cashews, soaked for 4 – 8 hours and drained (discard the soaking water)

apple cider vinegar

whole grain mustard

1 Tablespoon honey

soy sauce/tamari

water

Method

Remove outer leaves from the cabbage; wash and slice into wedges. Arrange wedges on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.

Combine remaining ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Grill cabbage wedges until softened, about 5 – 8 minutes per side. Drizzle dressing over the cooked wedges; pass additional dressing around the table, as needed.

Delicious!

A big thanks to Heather for hosting today’s Meatless Monday from A – Z link-up. Be sure to check out the other recipes created for today’s link party for inspiring and creative ways to cook with cabbage.

What is your favorite way to prepare cabbage?

-L

WIAW — Cleanse Continued

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Pas de Duex Blog

As I mentioned last week, I’ve been following a modified version of the Food Lover’s Cleanse from Bon Appetit. I’m now on Day 11 out of 14, and have gotten more flexible with my interpretation of the meal plan as time has gone by. Even so, I’ve been making better decisions, I’ve successfully cut back on my coffee intake, and I’ve felt generally more healthy.

Here are some of the highlights of the past week of my “cleanse”.

Day 4

Yogurt Chicken, Carrots, and Bulgur

For dinner last Wednesday, I made yogurt chicken with ginger-cilantro chutney and carrots with mint (both recipes on Day 3 on cleanse plan), and served them up with the last of my bulgur with parsley and lemon. The chicken was moist and full of flavor. I’ll definitely make it again!

Day 5

Thursday was a series of leftovers and repeat dishes, most of which were enjoyed whilst sitting at work.

Day 6

Applesauce with Walnuts

Friday, my afternoon snack of applesauce with walnuts was surprisingly enjoyable! I want to make my own applesauce, and make this a more frequent treat!

Chili and Salad

For dinner, I made white bean chili with winter vegetables (recipe from Day 5 on cleanse) and a spinach salad with clementines. I loved the avocado on top of the chili. It was a fresh and creamy addition to the complex flavors of the chili.

Day 7

Kale Salad

I had a long shift on Saturday, so I packed up a fruit salad and almond milk for breakfast and a big salad with kale, smoked salmon, tangerines, and radishes for lunch. I took a break from the plan that evening, and went out for a drink and dinner with one of my girlfriends.

Day 8

Blackberry Oatmeal

Sunday’s breakfast was a new twist on my usual bowl of oats. I cooked the oats in almond milk (nothing unusual), mixed in some berries while the oats were still cooking, and topped it off with fresh berries and a bit of chopped sage. The sage added an extra oomph to an otherwise basic bowl.

Mango Lassi

Afternoon smoothies are definitely going to become a more regular thing for me! Sunday I made a mango lassi with one mango, some Greek yogurt, a pinch of chile powder, and a dash of salt.

Radicchio Salad

I used up all of my leftover produce from the week in a giant dinner salad! Radicchio, pear, avocado, and dried cranberries were mixed in with sherry shallot vinaigrette and white beans. Yum!

Day 9

Chickpea Salad

Monday was another crazy workday, so I packed up smoked salmon and avocado on rye crackers, an apple, and a big salad with chickpeas, arugula, clementine slices, tahini dressing, and a leftover dollop of ginger-cilantro chutney.

Day 10

Oatmeal with Berries

I’ve enjoyed mixing up my breakfast routine, but I still always enjoy a nice bowl of oats in the morning! I kept the berry theme going with a smoothie later in the day, made with apple cider, half a banana, and frozen raspberries and blackberries.

Berry Smoothie

For lunch on the run, I had another “clean the icebox” type of salad, using pineapple, smoked salmon, arugula, tahini dressing, and the last bit of ginger-cilantro chutney.

Salmon and Pineapple Salad

Dinner, vegetable pot-au-feu and soft thyme-scented polenta, was listed on Day 11 of the cleanse. I am realizing how much I LOVE parsnips and carrots. I could eat them every day! I’m looking forward to the leftovers.

Vegetable Pot-Au-Feu

I love how many fruits and vegetables I’ve been eating! I intend to keep this trend going once my 14 days are up. Even though I haven’t followed the full cleanse, I feel as though I’ve cleaned up my act.

Thanks, Jenn for hosting this “What I Ate Wednesday” party!

Happy eating!

-C

WIAW — A Modified Food Lover’s Cleanse

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Pas de Duex Blog

Late in December, I received an email from Bon Appetit about a New Year’s Foodie Cleanse. I bookmarked the details, but was unable to do the “cleanse” at the time. Lately, I have not been listening to what my body needs, and instead have made unintelligent and unhealthy food decisions. I decided to jump-start my return to conscious eating by doing a modified Food Lover’s Cleanse. Based on my schedule, tastes, and single status, I have edited the meal plan.

I started on Sunday, and have enjoyed it so far! For today’s WIAW Party, hosted by Jenn, I’ll be showing you my meals from the first three days of the plan.

Day 1: Sunday

Oatmeal and tea

Sunday morning I topped a bowl of oatmeal with half a banana, berries, and chopped walnuts. I’m cutting back to just 1 cup of coffee while on the cleanse, so I paired my oatmeal with a cup of tea.

I indulged in my one cup of coffee for the day before heading into the grocery store. Limiting my coffee intake makes me savor it so much more!

Kale Salad

For lunch, I had a kale salad with tuna, white beans, and homemade sherry vinaigrette.

Apple-Blackberry Smoothie

I had an apple-blackberry smoothie, modified to use soy yogurt instead of normal Greek yogurt, as an afternoon snack. Yum!

Butternut Squash-Shiitake Ragout with Bulgur

Dinner the first night was delicious! I made butternut squash-shiitake ragout and bulgur with parsley and lemon zest. I ended the night with a dessert of fresh fruit.

Day 2: Monday

Raspberry Muesli

I had an early morning shift Monday, so I packed up breakfast and lunch the night before. Breakfast was a tasty bowl of muesli, made with oats, raspberries, half an apple, soy yogurt, fresh squeezed orange juice, and walnuts.

Spinach salad

Lunch was a spinach salad with lemon tahini dressing, topped with a hard boiled egg and some leftover grains. I love the lemon tahini dressing!

Leftovers

For dinner, I had a bowl of leftover ragout and bulgur. It was just as tasty the second time around. I enjoyed another dessert of fresh fruit before hitting the hay.

Day 3: Tuesday

Smoked Salmon and Avocado

I normally go for sweet breakfasts, rather than savory, so I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the breakfast for day 3! Mashed avocado and smoked salmon atop rye crackers made a very tasty meal.

I snacked on a hard boiled egg before a noon ballet class. Hard boiled eggs are another simple food that I often forget, but always enjoy!

Butter lettuce salad with ragout and radishes

I opted to combine the butternut squash ragout and butter lettuce salad in one big bowl, rather than serving them side by side. Topped with sliced radishes and lemon tahini dressing, this salad was filling and full of flavor.

I “cheated” on the cleanse for dinner, and instead went out with a friend to discuss her wedding plans! I’m thinking of this cleanse as the start to some permanent changes in my diet and lifestyle, so I am not being too rigid with the rules. I am eating mindfully, avoiding processed carbohydrates, cutting back on sugar, and decreasing my alcohol and caffeine intake. That sounds pretty clean to me!

Happy eating!

-C

Linguine with White Beans and Tuna

Posted on April 5, 2013 by Pas de Duex Blog

I am moving away from San Francisco at the end of May, so I’ve been trying to enjoy the city as much as possible. I have an ever-growing list of places to go and people to see! I’ve balanced my galavanting with extra shifts at work, and while it’s been nice to be able to fund my frolics, I have no time left to take care of myself. These days, I feel accomplished if I eat 2 homemade meals a day.

I modified a recipe from Bon Appetit to make a quick and easy lunch dish earlier this week. This pasta salad of sorts can be served warm or cold. If serving warm, I’d suggest sauteeing yellow onion and wilting the spinach, rather than fresh red onion and greens. I did a sort of awkward in-between version with wilted spinach and raw red onion. You could also mix things up by using whole wheat or spinach noodles.

Linguine with White Beans and Tuna

Serves 4

8 ounces linguine

10 ounces canned tuna packed in water

2 tablespoons olive oil, separated

2 cups spinach

juice from 1 lemon

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 red onion, chopped

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and rinse under cold water.

Meanwhile, whisk olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Flake tuna into the bowl. Add spinach, pasta, beans, and onion. Toss gently to coat. Season lightly with additional pepper.

This was a great meal to pack up and take to the studio with me. With beans and tuna, it’s full of protein… Just what I need when I’m on the run!

I’m looking forward to a day off on Sunday. I’m having some friends over for brunch (Tiramisu pancakes!), and then intend to spend the rest of the day in the kitchen. I’ll get ready for another busy week by preparing some nice, healthy, home cooked food!

Happy eating!

-C

Spinach, Pesto and Sausage Pizza

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Pas de Duex Blog

Pizza is often used to teach math, especially fractions and percentages.

Source

I recently finished reading Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, in which, for one year, Kingsolver and her family ate almost entirely locally. They live on a farm which enables them to raise poultry and tend an incredible garden. At the end of each chapter, Kingsolver’s daughter Camille shared her thoughts, recipes, and seasonal weekly meal plans. I was inspired by the Kingsolver’s weekly pizza night to make my own pizza as close to 100% from scratch as possible.

Let’s see how I did with my “pizza math”.

The Elements

Crust

Sauce

Pesto

Cheese

Sausage

Spinach

Crust: 100% made from scratch

Pizza Dough, pre-rise

I often purchase pre-made pizza dough from Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s to have on hand to make pizza at home. But this time, I overcame my “fear” of yeast, and whipped up Camille’s recipe for pizza dough.

It was so easy, and delicious!

Note to self: make your own dough more often…

Sauce: 50% made from scratch

Pizza sauce ingredients

For the sauce, I followed my typical “recipe,” which involves throwing canned tomatoes and some seasoning into a pan. I used 1 can of tomato sauce, 1 can of diced tomatoes (I like my sauce chunky!) 1/2 cup red wine, a generous sprinkling of dried basil, a dash of red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Combine all ingredients and simmer for 20 – 30 minutes.

Combined sauce, simmering

While I have taken the step away from pre-made tomato sauces, opting instead to make my own from canned (no salt added) tomatoes, I give myself 50% on this one because I have yet to take the step towards canning my own tomato sauce. This is a definite goal for me this summer! I plan to grow tomatoes again this year (and maybe one or two other vegetables, but that is a story for another day), and I will definitely be canning my own 100% from scratch tomato sauce.

Pesto: 100% made from scratch

Pesto ingredients

Our favorite pizza from Mellow Mushroom (our go-to take out pizza place) is Kosmic Karma, tomato sauce base topped with spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, mozzarella and feta cheese, fresh tomatoes, and a pesto swirl.

When I asked my husband what he wanted on our pizza, he asked me to recreate the Kosmic Karma. I was pleasantly surprised to find nice, local basil at the store, and jumped on the opportunity to make my own pesto, using walnuts instead of pine nuts (since that is what I had on hand).

Raw Basil Pesto

Raw Basil Pesto

Inspired by Edible Perspective

Ingredients

2 cups fresh basil leaves

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup raw walnuts

2 cloves garlic

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or high speed blender and puree until smooth. Add water as needed to reach desired consistency (I used 3 Tablespoons).

Pre-baked pizza

The Toppings: 0% made from scratch

I decided to add a bit of sausage to our Kosmic Karma imitation. I used a Tuscan sausage made in-house at my local Whole Foods using local pork. While I am happy with this choice of meat, no from-scratch points for me here… though I’m not sure I will ever reach the point of making my own sausage…

As for cheese, I chose mozzarella and goats milk feta. Kingsolver has a chapter on cheese making, which peaked my interest in this unexplored area of kitchen science. Kath makes it look easy… I might be ordering rennet and experimenting with cheesemongering in the near future…

His and Hers pizza slices

The spinach also gets 0% made from scratch since it was neither local nor home grown…

So, let’s add things up:

“Made From Scratch” Pizza Math

Crust – 100%
Sauce – 50%
Pesto – 100%
Cheese – 0%
Sausage – 0%
Spinach – 0%

Total: 41.67% made from scratch

Delicious!

Had I made this without the sausage, my percentage would have been much higher… Not bad for my first foray into homemade crust.

This pizza was delicious, and it gave me great joy to know that I had made so many of the elements from scratch. The added time spent making crust, sauce, and pesto was time well spent in the kitchen.

What are your favorite pizza toppings?

-L

Pas de Deux Blog

Category Archives: Dinner

Grilled Cabbage with Honey Mustard Dressing [MMAZ]

WIAW — Cleanse Continued

WIAW — A Modified Food Lover’s Cleanse

Linguine with White Beans and Tuna

Spinach, Pesto and Sausage Pizza

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