Categotry Archives: Dinner

Katherine’s Blue Cornbread

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This recipe comes from my sister Katherine (April 2021):

Blue Cornbread Dreams

We used organic blue corn masa flour, which must be sifted.

1 cup sifted cornmeal
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 to 4 tablespoons sugar (optional)
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup melted fat or oil
Mix dry ingredients together in a medium sized bowl.
In a small sized bowl, beat egg. Add milk.  Add oil or fat.  Add to dry  ingredients.
Fill mixture into the larger bowl, stir just enough to mix.  Fill greased 9×9 pan half full (we used oil).
Bake at 425F degrees 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly browned.  Yields 6 servings.
For corn muffins, use recipe for cornbread.  Fill greased muffins pans half full of cornmeal mixture.  Baking time will be 15-20 minutes.  Yield 12 servings.
We made a meal with pinto beans and the cornbread.  Very good!

Dueling Falafel

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Tonight I’m going to try one of these recipes. Notice the first one calls for deep frying the falafel patties. I’m not going to do that. The second one calls for an oil-coated baking dish. I’m going to try that, but I also wanted to compare the amounts of oil each recipe calls for inside the patties. – Helen

from TouchpointIsrael.com:

2 c vegetable oil, for frying
2 *T extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 c dried, raw chickpeas, soaked 20-24 hours
1 bunch scallions, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/4 c loosely packed fresh parsley leaves
2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 t ground cumin
2 t ground coriander
1 1/2 t kosher salt
1 t baking powder

  1. Mix the drained chickpeas, scallions, garlic, parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, coriander in a large bowl.
  2. Pulse small batches in a food processor until the chickpeas are finely chopped.
  3. Sprinkle the baking powder over the mixture. Pulse the chickpeas again until the mixture forms a ball when you squeeze it in your hand.
  4. Scoop the falafel into 2 tablespoon-sized balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
  5. Heat the oil in a 10-inch straight-sided skillet over medium-high heat
  6. Lower 6 falafel at a time into the hot oil and fry until deep golden-brown, flipping them halfway through, 5 to 7 minutes total per batch. Remove the cooked falafel to a paper towel-lined baking sheet.
  7. Serve the cooked falafel in a warmed pita with yogurt or tzatziki sauce (below), tomatoes, feta cheese, and shredded lettuce.

from CookieandKate.com:

  • ¼ c olive oil, for coating pan
  • 1 T extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 c dried, raw chickpeas, soaked 20-24 hours
  • ½ c roughly chopped red onion (~ ½ small red onion)
  • ½ c packed fresh parsley (mostly leaves)
  • ½ c packed fresh cilantro (mostly leaves)
  • 4 cloves garlic, quartered
  • 1 t salt
  • ½ t (~ 25 twists) freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ t ground cumin
  • ¼ t ground cinnamon
  1. Preheat oven to 375F. Pour ¼ cup of the olive oil into a large, rimmed baking sheet and turn until the pan is evenly coated.
  2. In a food processor, combine the soaked and drained chickpeas, onion, parsley, cilantro, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, cinnamon, and the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Process until smooth, about 1 minute.
  3. Using your hands, scoop out about 2 tablespoons of the mixture at a time. Shape the falafel into small patties, about 2 inches wide and ½ inch thick. Place each falafel on your oiled pan.
  4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, carefully flipping the falafels halfway through baking, until the falafels are deeply golden on both sides. These falafels keep well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for several months.

Sauce

  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • Zest and juice of 1 small lemon
  • 1 tablespoon white miso
  • 2 garlic cloves, pressed
  • 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
  • Pinch of cayenne
  • 1/3 cup water

Pulse in a mini-blender until smooth.

*T = tablespoon, t = teaspoon

“Traditional” refried pinto beans

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We served these at my birthday party a few weeks ago and some friends (Hi, Kasha and Debbie!) wanted the recipe and we said, “Sure, we’ll send that to you later this week!” and that never happened so this is our apology to them for our tardiness…

As much as I don’t have a drop of Hispanic blood in me (23andme says I’m 99.9% Northern European…) I like to think I can make a good pan of refried beans–the original of this is from Helen’s mother and grandmothers (…) but has been modified to use oil instead of lard or bacon grease–I’m not sure if Helen misses the original or not, but she prepares them this way also, so I’ll take that for what it’s worth!

Ingredients

  • 3 cups dried pinto beans
  • olive oil; other oils such as sunflower will work, too.  Not sure exactly how much on this as we pretty much just add until it seems right
  • salt.  Lots of salt.  At least it seems like a lot of salt–at least a couple of teaspoons in the end
  • freshly ground black pepper; to taste

Preparation

So the beans obviously take a long time to cook and there are different ways to get that done depending on time available and whether or not you remember to soak them the night before.  There are just a few key things to know about it:

  • use enough water; it should be inch(es) above the top of the beans.  If you are pressure-cooking them, then follow the guidelines for the pot as you don’t want to plug the valve (we have a few stories about that)
  • bring the beans + water to a boil for a couple of minutes, then drain the water and refill with fresh water.  This supposedly gets rid of some of the compounds that cause digestion problems for some people.
  • cook them for a long time–or what seems like forever.  If they’re gritty (my description) or crunchy (Helen’s word) at all, then they’re not done.  For non-pressure-cooked beans this will likely be more than an hour and a half even after soaking.  Of course, you don’t want them too soft either so pay closer attention after they’re almost done…  This is where cookbooks fail, if you ask me–they say things like “cook for 5 minutes” and you think “oh, I need to cook it for 5 minutes” but you really need to just cook it until it’s the right amount for whatever you’re trying for…

Once the beans are done, do not discard the water!  Get a big cast-iron skillet pretty hot–on our electric stove (I know, I know, real cooks use gas stoves) I set it to about an 8 out of 10 and let it get hot.  When it’s hot enough (it doesn’t need to be max as you’re not trying to really fry the beans) start ladling in the beans with some water from the pot.  You want some water in there but it should be mostly beans.  Think of just using a measuring cup to scoop the beans up getting mostly beans.

Anyway, once you have the skillet mostly full, add a bunch of oil–just drizzle it around the top and mix it in.  We probably end up using 3+ (or more–it’s really hard to tell!) tablespoons in a batch.  Add at least a teaspoon of salt and grind some black pepper on top and mix it all up and let it heat up and bubble.

At this point you should start mashing/stirring the beans using something like a potato masher (in a pinch, you can use the back of a large spoon, but that’s somewhat masochistic).  I like leaving a bunch of beans unmashed but I admit that tastes vary on that–a lot of people like smooth refried beans, but not me!  (I also like lump mashed potatoes–some say I’ll write that recipe up!)

Reduce heat and keep stirring until it’s able to simmer without burning on the bottom and let cook for a few more minutes.  Add more salt.  Yeah, it’s “to taste” but everyone seems to like the “salt” part of “beans, oil, salt”.  Add some of the reserved bean water if it needed.

 

Blistered Green Beans with Shishito Peppers and Mushrooms

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I admit it, I saw this in a Whole Foods mailer and thought it sounded good and so we tried it for *Thanksgiving 2018 and people loved it.  Go figure!

The original calls for including 1/4 teaspoon salt when blistering the ingredients but that just seems to end up with a bunch of what looks like ash on the pan bottom so I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest just truly dry blistering followed by the sprinkling of salt after it’s out of the pan.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons miso paste; I used white miso paste
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice; I used a whole medium lemon and have no idea if that was even close to 2 tablespoons
  • 1 tablespoon water (measured that one, I did!)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 12 ounces haricot verts (French green beans), ends trimmed
  • 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt; Morton’s seemed too plain so I used Redmond’s
  • 6 ounces shishito peppers
  • 6 ounces mushooms; I used crimini
  • lots of caramelized onions

Preparation

Caramelized onions (as topping) can be made by chopping 1 medium yellow onion into longish pieces and medium-cooking them for a long time in a skillet.

In a small bowl whisk miso, lemon juice, water, and olive oil until smooth and set aside.

Place large cast-iron skillet over high heat and when very hot add green beans and red pepper flakes.  Let sit undisturbed until blistered on the bottom–maybe 2 minutes or so, then attempt to rotate so that blisters are upside so you can blister other parts.  Note that this is easier said than done and that in the end you’ll probably just have to scooch them around to get them evenly blistered.  Sigh.  Anyway, remove them when they’re starting to soften and put them in large enough serving bowl.  Do the same with shishito peppers, but after you take them out, I highly suggest clipping the stems off of them with scissors (it’s kind of a pain to try to pick out the stems when eating them otherwise).  Ditto with mushrooms.

When the veggies (well, actually mushrooms are not a fruit or a veggie, but you know…) are all in the serving bowl, add the salt, drizzle the sauce over the top, turn a bit to coat everything, then put the caramelized onions on top.

*Notes from Helen

Thanksgiving 2018 at Delores’s house included: Delores, Lana, Deboro, Elle, Scarlette, Ivy, Ann, Karen, Helen, Scott, Anna, Maddie

We had a veggie Thanksgiving due to the fact that Delores tried to cook a frozen turkey in four hours. Lovely spread nonetheless. Little Svays played with cardboard jungle animals; Elle & Scarlette wrote thankful thank you cards for Aunts Karen and Helen; Lana shared her mindfulness work at her neighborhood charter school; Anna played piano in the background; Maddie enjoyed the little girls.

 

 

English peas, onions, and smoked vegan cheese

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A late-night snack that turned out better than expected:

  • a handful of English peas, pods and all.  These are the really big fat ones that you think would be good for dipping because they look like overgrown snap peas but whose shells are actually quite fibrous…
  • half an onion
  • a small amount of Aged English Smoked Farmhouse vegan cheese, from Miyoko’s Kitchen (www.miyokoskitchen.com).  Maybe a tablespoon or a bit more
  • olive oil, salt and pepper

Rinse and slice the pea pods into half-inch pieces; dice onion into whatever size pieces you like.  Saute both in, oh, a few tablespoons of olive oil for maybe five or more minutes.

Check on the tenderness of the pea pods and a few minutes before it’s where you want, add the chunk of the vegan cheese and cover with a pan lid.  The cheese will (eventually) soften enough to stir it into the rest–it really is mostly just for flavoring and not so much for eating cheese.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Helen was impressed with the flavor, real-cheese eater that she is!

(Note:  plan ahead on this as this smoked cheese–which is actually fermented vegan cheese–can only be ordered online…sad but true.)

White Bean Butternut Christmas Soup

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Adapted from http://fabtasticeats.com/2014/11/17/pancetta-winter-vegetable-soup/

Katie and I made this for her last sit-down family meal before she left to go back to Boulder, Utah with her cute and rambunctious Billy (her blue heeler puppy)

  • 2 or so tablespoons of high-oleic sunflower oil–enough for sauteing and taste
  • 1 large sweet yellow onion, chopped (larger pieces are nice)
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 carrots, sliced
  • 4 cups cubed butternut squash
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon thyme
  • 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3.5 cups veggie broth (we used 2 of the veggie bouillon cubes)
  • 2 cans (28 ounces) fire-roasted tomatoes
  • 2 cups fresh, sliced baby kale
  • 3+ cups “rice beans” (small white beans)

We had already cooked the rice beans (from Zurson Idaho Heirloom Beans) to just-ready-to-eat, but I suppose you could use canned white beans.

Just saute the onions in the oil for maybe 4 minutes, add the garlic and saute a minute more, then throw in everything but the kale and beans and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until the squash is tender.

Add beans and kale and stir and let sit for a few and serve.

Tamale Pie

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If you know my sister Katherine, you know I have an enthusiastic ghost writer here. If you don’t know her, you’re missing out.

My beloved sister Katherine and her husband, Tom, were visiting from Tucson. She was war-torn over fixing dinner one night because she hates to cook, and I mean hates to cook. She knew she had to do it, though, and was bemoaning her fate to me. I pulled out a freshly prepared tamale pie, gave it to her, and told her how to properly bake it–fry it even, for a sure hit, which it was. She served it with left-over salad from the night before. No one was the wiser. Katherine has thanked me several times over since, and seems to be whining for more pre-made heavenly dinners that she can readily heat and serve.

Katherine notes that she hates to plan meals. She hates to shop for meals. She hates to shop for groceries of any kind. She hates to prepare, cook, chop. She hates a lot of things, I’ve noticed. She likes to eat, but she isn’t as crazy about it as she notices other people seem to be. Except for this pie. Try it for yourself. If it appeases and pleases my sister Katherine, well, I must be doing something right.

Recipe to follow. Stay tuned. In the meantime, you can find all the ingredients here at Oil and Salt. Look up “Tamales,” and assemble the ingredients into a pie. Use Scotty’s Masa for the crust, top and bottom. Bake for 45-60 at 350F.

Oh, Katherine says the stoneware pan I used was key to the crispy masa crust. She said she learned how to turn on the oven, too.

 

Refried Beans

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Don’t be dismayed by the lack of fancy ingredients in these refried beans. Pinto beans don’t need dressing up any more than an old pair of jeans. They are a main attraction in themselves. Serve them with nicely browned tortillas.

  • 2 cups dry pinto beans
  • 8 cups water

Cook beans in a pressure cooker (45 minutes) or the long way on the stove until just right. Drain and set aside most of the broth.

  • 3-4 tablespoons olive or canola oil
  • salt

Heat wide, flat saucepan on stove. Pour in oil. Pour in beans and a cup or two of bean broth. Salt to taste (be generous). Cook for 10 minutes, or until the beans begin to get creamy. Remove from heat and let cool. They’ll get even creamier and tastier as they sit in the bowl at the table.

I don’t know the history of the ‘re’ in refried beans, but once or twice fried tastes the same to me. If you make enough beans for leftovers, fry ’em up!

End note: When I was a kid, I loved to ladle out the bean broth from the top of the beans and salt it, drinking it ladle by ladle. You’ll have more broth than you can use for the beans. Refrigerate the extra, and drink it later salted and heated.

 

 

 

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

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We love this soup. Scott found it in the cookbook Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.

Family notes from the page: 12/26/07: The Quinns and Sasha and Ben came over after sledding with the Peterson Brest Van Kempens and we ate this soup and masa cakes. We had fun. 

  • 5 pounds butternut squash (about 3), peeled, bulbous part cut from the stem part, then each part sliced in half, seeds removed
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium-sized onion, diced
  • 1 serrano chile, chopped (any chile will do, or you can omit if you don’t want it spice at all)
  • 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
  • 4 cups vegetable stock, or 2 cubes vegetable bouillon dissolved in 4 cups water
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • juice of 1 or 2 limes, to taste

Preheat oven to 425F

Lightly coat the squash halves with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and place cut side down on a nonstick or parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet (if you don’t have a rimmed baking sheet then use baking pans, to prevent the oil from dripping onto the oven floor).  Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the squash is tender and easily pierced with a fork.

When the squash is about 15 minutes from being done, in a stockpot over medium heat saute the onions in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil for 5 minutes.  Add the chiles; saute 5 minutes more.  Lastly add the ginger, garlic, and salt; saute 2 minutes more.

When squash is ready, puree in a blender or food processor along with the vegetable broth and sauteed onions, until smooth.  Return the mixture to the pot and heat through, add the maple syrup and lime juice, and serve.

Baked Beans

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These beans make a divine dish for a party or a campout. Topped with a rosette of thin tomato wedges and broiled until blackened around the edges, they’re as pretty as they are tasty. You can add the protein of your choice for a different flavor. Smoked tempeh is a good option.

  • 3 red, orange or yellow bell peppers, diced
  • 2 onions, diced
  • 3-4 tablespoons olive oil

Saute until semi-soft.

  • 2  6-0z cans tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons chipotle (or other) hot sauce
  • 2 tablespoons molasses
  • 1/2 cup dextrose powder (or 1/3 cup table sugar)
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
  • bean juice from 2 cans of beans (see below)
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Blend.

  • 4 cans navy beans (or other white bean), drained

Stir together beans, sauce and sauteed peppers and onions. Place in large stoneware bowl. Bake for 30 minutes at 350F.

  • 1 tomato, sliced into thin wedges

Take the beans out of the oven. Decorate with tomato wedges to fill the top surface. Broil for 10 minutes or until the tomatoes are blackened around the edges and the sauce has begun to caramelize on top.

Helen’s note:

We have taken these beans camping for years with the girls and their many cousins. We recently served them at our empty nest party, celebrating 25 years of parenting three lovely daughters (we did it!) and our return to the twosome we created so long ago. In those days, our favorite meal was instant mashed potatoes, blackened hot dogs and canned green beans. You will see after eating these beans that we have been practicing in the kitchen a bit since then.

June 2016 note:

Barbecued Tempeh

My sister Katherine her husband Tomás asked me to convert this recipe to the grilled barbecued tempeh that Scott and I served them on their recent visit when they came to town for the Ragnar race (go, Team What Was I Thinking? !). Here it is:

Make the sauce as described above. Cut the tempeh into slices about 3/8″ thick. Boil them for 15-20 minutes to expand the tempeh. Lay the slices out on a well oiled baking pan. Brush them with sauce and broil. Turn midway through and brush the other side. Broil until just blackened. Enjoy!

 

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