Tomato Feta Frrrrrriiiiitattattattattattattatta

HEY! Did you know that gouda is good-a, but feta is betta?

LAME!! When someone makes "cheesy" jokes about cheese, that's how you know they have a problem.

I.LOVE.CHEESE. But I'm a dietitian, you say. SCREW THAT. I LOVE CHEESE! I love mozzarella, and brie, and parmigiano reggiano, and comte and paneer and feta. Oh, how I love feta. I also love tomatoes. And creamy dreamy eggs. So I was pretty stoked when I found a recipe that used these three ingredients, it was super easy to make AND I didn't have to make a run to the grocery store! I served this frittata alongside my version of Barley Kale Gratin and I'm *pretty* sure my husband licked his plate afterward. Ladies: you were warned.

How's that for delicious beauty?

Tomato Feta Frittata

Serves 2 as a side, 1 as an entree. (Can be easily doubled/tripled to feed a larger crowd)

(Based upon the recipe in Deborah Madison's "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone")


3 eggs
1/2 T fresh parsley, minced (could sub with dill, chives, thyme, marjoram, etc)
pinch salt
1 tsp olive oil or butter
1/2 medium tomato, sliced moderately thinly
1/4 C feta cheese crumbles

In a non-stick skillet (or generously oiled stainless steel one) heat olive oil/butter on medium heat. Meanwhile, whisk eggs in a small bowl with salt and parsley. When olive oil/butter is hot, add eggs and stir until they're nearly set. Leave on the stove for 2-3 minute to set the eggs in the bottom of the pan. Place slices of tomato (usually 3-4 will fit comfortably in a small pan) on top and sprinkle feta on top of the tomatoes. Place under broiler for a few minutes to melt the cheese, lightly cook the tomato, and finish the eggs. Slide onto a plate and serve. Best served hot or warm.

Barley Kale Gratin: Soul-Warming Goodness

Let's play a game of word association. If I say "kale" what do you say? If you were a child you'd likely spout something like:

Green
Slimy
Bitter

or, worse:

What's kale?

Now, let me throw "barley" atcha. If you were my brother (much older, mind you), you'd surely say "eeeeewwwww"

SIGH...

Let's try this again, but I'll ask you after you've warmed your bellies with a bowl of Barley Kale Gratin. Seriously. Give it a try. Kids and adults need not be afraid.

Green goodness. Nom nom nom.

Barley Kale Gratin

yields 6 moderate or 8 smaller portions 

(based upon the recipe in Deborah Madison's "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone")

1C barley
3C water
1 package frozen kale, defrosted (or 1 large bunch cleaned, stems removed, chopped and steamed--see why I prefer frozen!?)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3T olive oil
3T flour
~3C liquid (any combination of chicken/veg stock/water and milk)
1 C grated cheese, divided (orig recipe calls for swiss but I used parmesan)

Boil 3 C water in a medium pot and add barley. Simmer uncovered for ~20 minutes until cooked (should be soft yet a bit chewy). Drain excess water if necessary. Meanwhile, prepare fresh kale or defrost frozen kale. Puree in food processor and add to cooked barley. In a larger pot, sautee onions in olive oil on medium heat. When soft, whisk in flour to make a roux (pronounced "roo") which will be used to thicken the sauce. Stir flour/oil/onion for a few seconds to lightly toast the flour. SLOWLY add 3C liquid, whisking vigorously to prevent lumps from forming. Sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If too thick add more liquid, if too thin keep simmering to evaporate more water. Add barley/kale mixture and stir to combine. Once warmed through, turn off heat, add 1/2 C of the cheese and season to taste with salt/pepper. Pour into greased baking dish and top with remaining shredded cheese. Broil for a few minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

This dish is VERY hearty and makes a great meal in and of itself. Or, serve a smaller portion alongside this Tomato Feta Frittata.

Hummus: Scary No More

I don't know about you, but for YEARS I had a fear of making hummus. A FEAR. Irrational, perhaps!? I just thought it was too complicated to make, or required expensive ingredients, or wasn't going to taste good, or...or...BAH! Most of the time I ended up either leaving the job to Sabra (at $4 a tub this wasn't frequent...and btw who the heck gets 8 servings out of one of those things?!?! Preposterous!!) or leave it all together. Such a sad thing, because after searching for a hummus recipe using white beans (aka cannellini, aka white kidney) I come to find that it's actually 1) incredibly easy to make 2) incredibly inexpensive and 3) requires some seriously humble ingredients. Thank goodness for my awesome Cuisineart food processor which makes the task of producing a tub of this filling, wholesome, Middle Eastern staple insanely easy. Good-bye, fear. Hellooooo YUM!

Serve it with crudite (the French word for veggies) for a fab appetizer, or throw in some falafel and/or pita and make it a hearty vegan meal. I typically serve it with raw or nearly-raw (ie lightly steamed/blanched) cut-up veggies like carrot, bell pepper, cucumber, celery, broccoli, cauliflower or leaves of endive or stalks of asparagus if I really want to be fancy schmancy! Hummus makes for a great filling for sandwiches/wraps, and I've been known to make a sandwich with hummus, sliced avocado, and fresh tomato. Throw in some sprouts and you got a party in your mouth!

Hummus is actually quite versatile but whatever you do, DO NOT serve it with fruit. TRUE STORY: Just days after giving birth, I asked my husband for something to eat for breakfast. He comes back with (I kid you not) a plate of hummus and... strawberries. I questioned him and he seriously had no idea why that wasn't a good breakfast. "Hummus is good, and strawberries are good. What's the problem?" Needless to say, I opted for a bowl of cereal instead. MEN! ;)

I digress. Back to the beans. So turns out, making this on your own does require a bit of money up-front. A large jar of tahini (ground sesame seeds, found in the ethnic section of the grocery store), will run you about $10 but the amount of hummus you can make with it and a bag or few cans of beans is INSANELY HUGE. WAY more than three piddly tubs of the store-bought stuff. You're welcome.

The other great thing about hummus (as if!) is that there's a lot of flexibility in the ingredients/proportions. If you find it's not garlicky or lemony enough, add more! If the consistency is too dry, add some water and/or olive oil. If you like it spicy (or not), herby, roasted red bell peppery be my guest! Below is the basic recipe, which can be adjusted as your taste buds see fit. Of course, to make classic hummus you can substitute the white beans with chick peas (aka garbanzo beans/ceci beans)

Hot dang this stuff is delicious!

White Bean Hummus

(based on the recipe from foodnetwork.com)

3 C cooked white beans (2, 15-oz cans or 1/2# dried beans, cooked***)
2-3 cloves garlic
handful of fresh parsley
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp ground cumin
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 C tahini
olive oil

Throw all of the ingredients in a food processor and whiz until beautifully smooth. Add olive oil (and/or water, even) if the consistency is a bit thick/dry. It should be scoop-able, neither runny nor super chunky. Now, wasn't that EASY?! Throw it in a festive bowl, swirl some olive oil on top with a shake of paprika and BAM!


***Turns out, dried beans are WAY WAY WAY cheaper and lower in sodium than canned beans (duh!) and it's actually not that much of a hassle to prepare a large quantity ahead of time and freeze small portions for later use. The general method to cooking beans that are tender and flavorful is to:
1) pick through them to remove any stones and other debris
2) give 'em a good rinse in a colander/strainer
3) throw them in a pot of cold water and let them soak 6-8 hours (ie overnight)
4) replace the soaking water with fresh water making sure they are covered by at least an inch of water and add several solid pinches of salt
5) bring pot to a boil and lower heat to maintain a simmer. Cook for 20-30 minutes (some beans take longer) or until tender
6) drain, cool and package into small containers/bags to be stored in the freezer