Sautéed Parmesan Kale

Stupidly good. And healthy to boot! This simple dish has become one of my go-to meals over the last few weeks. It's so easy to throw together, is quick, healthy, and can be eaten alone or with a grain mixed in (I've used brown rice and quinoa so far). It would also be delicious in a grilled cheese sandwich. I love it so much that I've eaten it for two meals in a row a few times. It is possible that not to long from now, I will have eaten my own weight in kale.

And I'm ok with that. See, kale has intimidated me for a long time. I just didn't know what to do with it. There it was, all....leafy. Leafy and expectant, as if I knew how to turn it into something delicious. Well, I didn't. So I avoided it. Even though I knew how healthy it is, and had heard all the promises about how kale is basically the answer to all life's problems. I still avoided it.

And then one day, at the grocery store, there it was again. This time, in the frozen aisle. And I picked up a bag and decided that I would make kale.

And I did! This recipe is so easy, and I especially love it for the fact that this Vegan Parmesan Cheese is the closest thing to real parmesan cheese I've tasted in a while. The best part is that it's foolproof! Everything can be adjusted to your own taste. This takes 6 - 9 minutes tops to make, and can be a side dish or a main dish - it just depends on how big a bucket of kale you're in the mood for.

Sautéed Parmesan Kale
Makes 1 serving

Cooking spray
1 cup frozen kale
2 - 3 tbsp. minced onion (to your own taste)
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (to your own taste)
1/8 - 1/4 tsp. chipotle powder (or substitute another chili powder or red pepper flakes)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 - 4 tbsp. Vegan Parmesan Topping

Coat a skillet well with cooking spray. Combine the kale, onion, garlic powder, and chipotle powder, spray well with cooking spray, and sautee over medium heat until the minced onion is slightly browned. Continue cooking for another few minutes and then salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the vegan parmesan topping and serve immediately.

**Ideas for other ways to use this recipe:

• Combine the sauteed kale and parmesan with cooked quinoa for a lovely pilaf.
• Add a layer of this to a grilled cheese sandwich (using Daiya cheese wedges).
• Serve as a side dish with scrambled eggs and toast.

Sauteed Hakurei Turnips with Green Garlic

Have you ever heard of - or seen - a Hakurei Turnip before?

I had not. So when I opened my first box of farm share goodies from Siena Farms, I wasn't totally sure what they were, much less what to do with them. They don't look like the turnips I'm used to - these are tasty and crispy raw, with a subtle sweetness that is drawn out even more if you sprinkle a little salt over them. After tasting them raw, I was curious to see how they hold up under heat.

Deliciously, it turns out. They're sort of starchy, but with fewer calories than potatoes and a nice, light texture. And with the simple additions of green garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper, you won't go wrong!

Farm Share Experiment #1 = success.

Sauteed Hakurei Turnips with Green Garlic

1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1 piece green garlic, chopped
1 clove garlic, diced
4 - 6 Hakurei turnips, sliced finely
1/2 tsp. fresh oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil and add the green garlic, garlic, oregano, and sliced turnips together. Sautee over medium heat for 4 - 7 minutes, or until the turnips are nicely browned and soft. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Banana Corn Muffins

Well, I thought that I had a favorite corn muffin.  But there's a new contender on the scene.  How does the saying go?  A lack of ingredients is the mother of invention - or something like that.

Yesterday, I went to an "April Fools" party at a friend's house, and since I knew there was a huge pot of chili waiting there, decided I'd make some corn muffins to share.  My go-to recipe for corn muffins is the Gluten-free Goddess' sweet potato corn bread recipe, which I dutifully opened in my browser.  Then I checked my pantry - no squash puree of any kind.  Ok - no problem.  This is why I buy bananas, let them get all brown and spotty, and then freeze them.  I took a few from the freezer, defrosted them, and then used them (with some applesauce) in place of the squash.  The result?  Deliciousness.  I still love the sweet potato version, but these make an excellent alternative.  They puff up beautifully and have a slight sweetness from both the banana and the cornmeal (so be forewarned that this is not the savory kind of cornbread that Southerners prefer!).  They were great with the chili, but you don't need chili as an excuse to make these.  These can stand on their own and would make a fantastic portable breakfast or snack, too.  And they come together so quickly, you'll be eating one before you know it.

Banana Corn Muffins (Inspired by, and adapted from, the Gluten-free Goddess' Sweet Potato Cornbread recipe)
Makes 12 muffins

1 1/2 small overripe bananas (a little more than 1/2 cup)
3 - 4 tbsp. cup smooth applesauce (the bananas and applesauce together should total 3/4 cup)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
1/3 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup potato starch
1/3 cup tapioca starch
     (OR 1 cup of your favorite gluten-free flour blend - just be careful to reduce the baking powder and baking
      soda if it's a self-rising blend)
1 cup stone ground cornmeal
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking power
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Spray a muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a mixing bowl, beat together the bananas, applesauce, and sugar, eliminating as many lumps as possible.  (You can do this by hand, but it might be easier to use an electric mixer.)  Add the eggs and canola oil and continue to stir until well-mixed.

In a separate bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients.  Add to the wet ingredients and mix well to incorporate.  Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin tins.  Bake for 18 - 22 minutes, or until golden brown on top and a toothpick comes out clean.  Serve warm from the oven, if possible.  If not, refrigerate or freeze until ready to serve, then heat in the microwave.

Chickpea Farinata Bread

If you are like me and have never heard of or tried Italian farinata before, you are in for a treat.  This is one of the simplest loaves of bread you could hope to make, although I hesitate to lump it into the category of "bread" lest it mislead anyone about what to expect from the texture.  This is dense.  It's just chickpea flour and water, really.  Add a few spices, and it's ready to go in the oven.  Heck, we skipped the mixing bowl entirely and stirred this up right in the pan.  Don't be concerned when it looks....well....soupy when you stick it in the oven.  Ours resembled crepe batter (very thin and runny) and we exchanged dubious looks as we closed the oven door behind it.  It seemed impossible that it would solidify into anything bread-like and/or edible under any amount of heat.  But, seemingly miraculously, we opened the oven door 20 minutes later to find that it had browned on top and settled into the dense bread you see pictured.  Fantastic. 

The whole loaf only has 680 calories if you make it as directed below, and 24 grams of protein.  This makes a really dense loaf, so it can stand on its own as part of a main meal (perhaps served with soup or salad on the side).  But it was also great to have as a power snack during the day.

The great thing about this bread is how versatile it is in terms of flavor.  The original recipe also called for thinly sliced onions to be cooked into the bread, which my friend Lisa had had the first time she ate this (served by friends of hers), but which we omitted.  It also did not call for cumin originally, but we happen to love cumin - a lot - and it just goes so well with chickpeas that we dumped a ton into ours, with wonderful results.  Check out this post about farinata for some great ideas about how to customize it (topped with zucchini and parmesan cheese??  Yes, please!)  Feel free to make it your own.  Play around with it to find the flavor you like.  But if you're a fan of chickpeas like I am, you will find a new addiction in farinata. 

Chickpea Farinata Bread

For a flatter bread:
1 cup warm water
1 cup chickpea flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 - 2 tsp. cumin
1 1/2 - 2 tbsp. olive oil
1 thinly sliced onion, sautéed (optional - we did not add this into ours)

For a thicker bread (like the picture above):
2 cups warm water
2 cups chickpea flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. black pepper
2 - 4 tsp. cumin
2 - 4 tbsp. olive oil
1 thinly sliced onion, sautéed (optional - we did not add this into ours)

Preheat the oven to 450 F.  Spray a 9-inch round pan with cooking spray.

In a separate bowl, mix all of the ingredients together.  Pour into the pan and bake for 15 - 20 minutes or just until browned on top (for the thicker bread, you'll need to leave it in for 20 - 30 minutes; start checking for doneness after 20 minutes with a toothpick).  Remove from oven and let settle and cool for 5 - 10 minutes.  Serve warm.  If desired, sprinkle with addition cumin before serving.  

Roasted Red Pepper Cashew Hummus (Vegan and Raw)

This is a lovely twist on traditional hummus dip.  In fact, I'm not entirely sure that it should even be called hummus, given the complete absence of the chickpeas, which are replaced entirely with cashews in this recipe.  All I know is that it was really, really tasty.  After several minutes of blitzing in the food processor, this raw dip was silky smooth, creamy, and wonderful.  It has a slightly sweet flavor from the roasted red peppers, with a salty tinge that lingers on your tongue.  I'm learning the art of keeping things simple, so I only added small amounts of a few other spices to this.  Not too many, though, because the roasted red peppers have such a strong flavor, and it's not fair to have to compete with that.

I ate this with corn chips, but it would be wonderful with pita chips as well, if you can find or make gluten-free ones.  I also used it in place of ketchup on a black bean burger I had this week, which was fantastic, and it would be great as a layer in a sandwich or as a tapenade with melted cheese on top, too.  Unfortunately, I ran out of the dip before I had time to try all of the different ways I thought of to use it.  But I'm sure that a few more batches will be coming my way before long...



Roasted Red Pepper Cashew "Hummus"

1 cup roasted cashews (I used the 50% reduced salt kind from Trader Joe's)
2 whole roasted red peppers, skin and seeds removed
1 - 2 tbsp. lemon juice (to taste)
2 tsp. agave nectar
1/2 tsp. salt (add more or less to your own taste)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
Dash of cayenne pepper (to taste/tolerance)
Dash of cumin (to taste)

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend on high speed for about 4 - 5 minutes, or until very creamy.  Remove and adjust spices as needed.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Serve with corn chips or as a tapenade.

Roasted Broccoli and Edamame with Garlic

There's a lot of green in this post.  I was feeling the need for something really healthy for dinner tonight, and, feeling inspired by a friend who raved last night about some roasted broccoli she had made, I decided to try it out.  I've always prepared broccoli by boiling it or steaming it.  And don't get me wrong; I love it that way.  But I feel like I discovered broccoli for the first time with this recipe. Seriously, you will never look at broccoli the same way again.  No longer will your mind fly to adjectives like "smushed" and "overcooked" when you ponder broccoli.  Instead, you will think about slightly crisp yet soft florets, roasted under high heat with whole garlic cloves and simple spices.  I was definitely cursing the fact that I only had 1 1/2 cups of broccoli in my freezer tonight!  Check out the inspiration for this recipe here on the Amateur Gourmet's site.  He does a better job of raving about this broccoli than I have, plus offers a few more tips for ways to spruce this up if you feel it needs sprucing.  I adapted his recipe slightly and have re-posted it below.

Originally, I was just going to make the broccoli, but at the last minute, decided to throw in the edamame for some protein (but did not add any extra oil to coat them).  I put them on separate halves of the pan so the edamame would have a chance to get crispy without being overshadowed by some of the larger broccoli florets, and they were fantastic, crispy, and full of spice.  So if you are in need of a green dinner, make this.  Trust me, you won't be sorry - you will never look at broccoli the same way again.

Roasted Broccoli and Edamame with Garlic

For the broccoli:
1 1/2 cups broccoli florets, rinsed and patted dry
3 whole garlic cloves, chopped into large chunks
2 tsp. olive oil
To taste:
Sea salt
Ground black pepper
Dash of garlic powder
2 - 3 tsp. lemon juice
Optional:  Sprinkle of parmesan cheese or vegan parmesan cheese

For the edamame:
1/2 cup frozen edamame, thawed, rinsed and patted dry
1 - 2 garlic cloves, chopped into large chunks
To taste:
Sea salt
Ground black pepper
Dash of cayenne pepper
Ground Cumin
Garlic powder

Preheat the oven to 425 F.  Line a baking dish with a sheet of foil.

Toss the broccoli, garlic, olive oil, and spices together in a bowl and spread onto one half of the lined baking dish.  Then toss the edamame and spices separately and spread onto the other half of the lined baking sheet.  Bake for 20-25 minute, stirring once or twice for even browning.  When the broccoli is browned and tender, and the edamame is crispy on the outside (but soft on the inside), remove from the oven.  Sprinkle the lemon juice over the broccoli.  Serve immediately.

Quinoa Pilaf with Sweet Sausage, Dried Cherries, and Feta "Cheese"

This is a fantastically quick pilaf to throw together for when you're in a rush, or if you're so hungry you can't wait to for food that takes longer than 15 minutes to prepare.  Since recently discovering Sunergia Soy Feta Cheese (which is remarkably spot-on in flavor and texture, considering it's both dairy and gluten-free), I have been adding it to all kinds of things for an extra kick of flavor.  In this pilaf, it complements the tart cherries and sweet sausage perfectly, making for a quick and delicious meal.  I personally don't usually keep cooked quinoa on hand, but even if you don't either, the white kind only takes about 15 minutes to cook.  Once it's done, though, it's really just a matter of stirring the other ingredients in.  You'll be sitting down to eat before you know it. 


Quinoa Pilaf with Sweet Sausage, Dried Cherries, and Feta "Cheese"
Makes 2 small-ish servings

1 cup cooked quinoa (make as directed using chicken or vegetable broth)
2 Sweet Apple Maple Chicken Sausages (from Trader Joe's), sliced and sauteed until browned
1/3 cup dried cherries (can substitute cranberries)
2 - 3 tbsp. Sunergia Soy Feta Cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Toss all ingredients together, breaking up the soy feta cheese well to distribute evenly throughout the pilaf.  Season with salt and pepper to your own liking.  This pilaf can be eaten either hot or cold.

Pea Mint Tapenade

I know - peas.  Gross, right?  Peas are the vegetables that get shuffled unenthusiastically around the plate.  They're the ones we hide behind the other food until dinner is over.  They're not only physically difficult to pin down, squirming and rolling away from utensils, but I feel like peas are often a vegetable of obligation.  I myself have a bag of them in my freezer that prompt a slight wave of guilt every time I catch a glimpse of them.  I feel like I should have them, but I don't know why.  Why do we hate peas, anyway?  Is it the faded green color?  The taste?  The texture?  The associations we have with being forced to eat them as children?  Whatever the reason, peas have gotten a bad rap in our minds, rating up there with brussel sprouts in their ability to repel us. 

So who knew they'd be so freaking delicious as a tapenade?  The texture of this is so creamy that you'll think for a minute that some sort of fat or cream has been added.  But - it hasn't.  The peas run the show, settling into perfect smoothness when pureed.  The flavor is delightful, but not overpowering, and it is wonderful spread over crispy garlic crostinis hot from the oven.  You could even serve it as a dip for gluten-free crackers.  The perfect appetizer, it's simple to make and will impress your guests with the unexpected harmony of peas and mint. 

Pea Mint Tapenade
Makes enough for about 24 crostini, or about 2 cups

2 1/2 cups peas, cooked and drained
5 - 7 tbsp. chopped fresh mint (to taste)
1 tbsp. lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste


Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.  Adjust seasonings and mint to your own taste.  Serve with gluten-free garlic crostinis or gluten-free crackers.

*Note: This does not keep very well, even overnight, so it is best to make it as close to serving time as possible for maximum freshness and flavor.

Creamy Basil Hummus

I love hummus.  It's one of the things I really missed being able to eat during the last year of living in Swaziland.  Sure, I could find hummus occasionally in the store, but the chances of it being labeled "gluten-free" were slim to none.  And without a food processor, I couldn't even make my own at home.  The same was true of pesto.  I love the taste of pesto, but the availability of pesto, period, was very limited, much less pesto that did not include cheese. 

That's why this recipe is so amazing.  It combines the wonderful, creamy texture of hummus with the fresh, bursting flavor of basil into something that you will not be able to stop eating.  It even packs a nice protein punch from the chickpeas and sesame tahini.  We ate this smeared onto our gluten-free breadsticks at an Italian dinner, and it was the perfect complement to the pasta and salads we were eating.  But I imagine this would be equally delicious spread into a sandwich, or eaten alone with chips.  Try adding different herbs in place of the basil if you have a different favorite!

Thanks to my cousin Erin for sharing her amazing recipe for this blog!

Creamy Basil Hummus

1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 green onion (just the green part, not the white part), chopped
1/8 cup plus 1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. sesame tahini
1 large garlic clove (or more to taste), put through the press
A handful of fresh basil leaves
juice from half a lemon
A tablespoon of water (only for thinning)
Salt to taste (optional, I put a dash in last time)
 
Toss all of the ingredients in a food processor. Process until smooth.


Note: I usually had to add about a tbsp of water so that it will process well.  It lasts a little less than a week in the fridge. Also, I think the "handful of basil" is probably about one of those 3/4 oz. packages of fresh basil you can buy at the store.  I just keep tasting it until I feel like it's the right amount of basil and garlic.

Sweet Potato French Fries

"Have you ever had sweet potato french fries?" my friend Joe asked me as we drove through Mbabane to his apartment to make dinner, winding up the hill on Somhlolo Road in the approaching dusk.

I told him that I had not.  "I think we need to make sweet potato french fries tonight," he said, grinning.

Sweet potatoes as we know them in the U.S. are not really available here in Swaziland, with the most common varieties being white on the inside and much more starchy, like a regular potato, whereas our sweet potatoes resemble butternut squash.  Joe has been working with an orphanage in Nhlangano, in the southern part of Swaziland, and the couple that runs it has a farm on their property where they grow our kind of sweet potatoes.  And every time Joe goes down there, he told me, they give him some to take back with him.

He showed me how to slice the potato into thick wedges, and then he mixed together olive oil and spices to coat them, and stuck them in the oven.  Although they are baked, they sit in a good amount of olive oil, so they end up being more deep fried than anything.  If you like sweet potatoes, you will absolutely love these fries.  They bake up crispy on the outside and deliciously soft on the inside, with the coating a perfect complement to their flavor. Warning: it's quite likely that you will not be able to stop eating them and will wish you had made more once they're gone.

The link to the original recipe can be found by clicking here.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries
2 medium-sized sweet potatoes
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t oregano
1/2 t coriander
1 t kosher salt
1 t parsley
fresh ground pepper (about 10 turns of a pepper mill)
2 tbsp. Treacle or brown sugar (Joe’s own addition)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with raised edges lightly with cooking spray.
Slice your sweet potatoes into french fry shape and size, about ¼” or a bit bigger. Cutting them larger will sometimes result in a big soggy mess, so stay small to get the best results.  Make sure that they are all about the same size so they will cook evenly.

Mix the spices into the olive oil and drizzle over the fries to coat them all and place them onto the cookie sheet.  Be sure that they are not touching each other!  Then pour any excess oil into the bottom of the cookie sheet.

Place into the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes without opening the oven door.  Flip the fries over, and then return to the oven for another 15-20 minutes, being careful not to burn them.

Serve plain or with the yogurt dip that is featured on the page with the original recipe.  (If you're dairy free as well, I imagine you could substitute your favorite non-dairy yogurt for the one in the recipe and it would taste practically the same.)

To find out more about how awesome Joe is or to thank him for the fabulousness that is this recipe, check out his facebook page.

Sweet and Tangy Barbecue Sauce

One of my favorite quick and easy meals to make is my friend Kim's Sweet and Tangy Meatballs, found on

my blog from last year.  The ingredients for that recipes are ones that I cannot get here in Swaziland, sadly.  But the other day, I was thinking to myself - how hard could it be to make barbecue sauce, anyway?  I bet I could do it.  And without a recipe, I started yanking ketchup, sugar, and spices from my cabinets and started up the burners on my stove.  Ten minutes later, I had a deliciously tangy sauce simmering in front of me, and the only thing missing from the original sauce recipe was the cranberry chutney from Trader Joe's I used to use.  No problem - I pulled out a jar of cranberry blueberry jam I found at the supermarket recently and added a big dollop of that to the mix.  The sauce was not exactly the same, but was pretty darn close.  I used it to coat a few sausage links that I fried up and served it with rice.  The sauce will thicken if you bake it in the oven for about fifteen or twenty minutes, and so I poured it over the fried sausage and stuck it in the oven while the rice softened on the stove.  You could use this sauce to coat chicken, meatballs, or anything else!  Serve the sausages with toothpicks for a fun party snack, and leave the rice for a full meal.

Simple Barbecue Sauce

1/2 cup ketchup

3 tbsp. brown sugar

3 tsp. balsamic vinegar

½ - 1 tsp. lemon juice

½ - 1 tsp. chili powder (to taste)
Dash of salt
3 - 5 tbsp. cranberry (or any dark berry) jam

Place the ketchup in a pan and add the brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, chili powder, and salt.  Bring to a simmer and continue to cook as it thickens and the sugar caramelizes a bit.  Adjust the seasonings depending on your own taste, and then add the 5 tbsp. (or more!) of your favorite dark berry jam.  Cranberry is especially recommended for this recipe, but any will work fine.

Pour over chicken breasts, sausage links, hot dogs, hamburgers, or meatballs.  Enjoy!

Sweet Grilled Polenta Cakes

Mmm, I have been dreaming of some polenta cakes for some reason. I don't know why; it's not like I ever ate polenta much before. But I think the thought of making them like mini-cornbreads was making me eager to invent something using polenta here. It's that time of year when normally, back home, the weather would be getting kind of chilly and I'd start making pots of chili or other cold-weather comfort food like cornbread. But here in Swaziland, things are just starting to get hot. Really hot. Summer is right around the corner here, and luckily, these little polenta cakes are just as good cold as they are hot. This is what mine looked like when I started to brown them in the pan:

Sweet Grilled Polenta Cakes

½ cup polenta
2 cups boiling water
½ tsp salt
3/8 - 1/2 cup sugar, to taste
3/8 cup gluten-free self-raising flour (I used self-raising rice flour) OR 1/8 – ¼ cup gluten-free rice flour plus
¼ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp salt
Cooking spray

Decide if you want to bake the polenta cakes for a firmer texture and preheat the oven accordingly (350 F or 180 C).

Add the boiling water to a heated pot and add the salt. Bring the water to a full boil, then add the ½ cup polenta, stirring constantly. Stir over low-medium heat until the mixture has become very thick. Remove from heat and add the sugar to taste, and then the gluten-free flour. If you want polenta cakes that will be firmer in the middle, let the mixture sit for about 15 minutes to stiffen. But if you prefer the middle to be soft and gooey (still polenta-like) in the middle, use the batter right away. Spray a nonstick pan with cooking spray and heat the pan over medium heat. When it is hot, add big dollops of the polenta mixture and cook for at least 5 minutes on each side, and then longer depending on how browned you want them to be and how gooey you want the middle to be. If you prefer them to be very soft on the inside, remove from heat and serve immediately with sauce, grilled or sautéed vegetables, as an accompaniment to a meat dish, or anything else. If you make them sweet enough, they would be delicious drizzled with honey or spread with jam. If you would like them to be firmer in the middle, remove from the griddle and place onto a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake the cakes for 15 – 25 minutes at 350 F.

And voila - this is what you end up with!

Ashook's Indian Sambele

This is a simple and tasty chutney to accompany a main dish, especially a curry. It could also be used to top off a filet of fish, or a seared chicken breast, or a lamb chop.....and the list goes on. For best results, let it sit overnight and then add the fresh cilantro before serving. Ashook made this to go with the most recent curry he made for us - a lamb and potato curry full of spice and heat and deliciously enveloping sauce. But you can use it for whatever you'd like, or even eat it plain with chips as a salsa. No matter what you eat it with, the flavors in this will shine through.

Ashook's Sambele
1 onion, chopped very fine
2 tomatoes, chopped very fine
2 - 3 small green chilies, de-seeded and chopped very fine
Olive oil to coat
vinegar to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 - 1 tsp. sugar (optional), to taste
2 - 3 stalks cilantro leaves, chopped very fine (half added just before serving for freshness)

Mix all ingredients together, stir well, and refrigerate overnight, covered. Remove from the refrigerator and stir. Add the other half of the fresh cilantro and stir. Serve immediately as an accompaniment to a variety of meals, including curries or meat and potatoes.

Swazi Beet Chutney

I walked into the kitchen at the guest house tonight at about 8:30 to a flurry of activity, rather unusual for this hour of night when there are only three guests staying here tonight, only one of whom actually ate dinner at the guest house. As I watched, Antonio scooped up huge spoonfuls of something dark purple and ladled them into the large jars that Jose was holding up. Jose then carefully screwed on the lid, dipped the jar in a big pot of hot water to clean it off, wiped it dry, and then placed it upside down on the counter. At first I couldn't see what they were making and mistook it for jam, and my heart swelled for a moment until I realized that it was actually a giant vat of beet chutney. Still, though, I ran to get a pen and paper and copied down the recipe. I have grown rather fond of beets here. A traditional Swazi meal consists of rice or corn porridge (which has the consistency of stiff mashed potatoes), some sort of boiled chicken or beef stew with onions and carrots, potato salad, a squash of some kind, and a serving of beet chutney, which adds a nice sweetness to the ensemble. I didn't realize that I liked beets until I got here. Not that I disliked them, but I guess I've never been presented with so many opportunities to eat them until now. So here is the recipe that Antonio and Jose were using for their chutney, just in case anyone reading this is a fan of beets and would like to tap into the Swazi inside of them.

Swazi Beet Chutney

2 cups beetroot, grated
1 onion, grated
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup brown vinegar (white will also work)
2/3 "spoon" curry powder (I'd start with 1 tsp. and add more to taste)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tbsp. corn flour (cornstarch)

Place the grated beetroot and onions into a large pot and bring to a boil. Add the brown sugar and vinegar and bring to a boil again. Add the curry powder, salt, and cornstarch and stir well, allowing it to thicken. Spoon into prepared jars and seal.

Sweet Potato Cornbread by the Gluten-free Goddess

Without fail, every recipe that I try from the Gluten-free Goddess' website turns out perfect and delicious and impossible to resist, and I just wanted to give yet another link to a recipe that I love. This sweet potato cornbread is moist and wonderful, with a delicious hint of cinnamon and a perfect balance of flavors. I had one piece by itself and cut one piece in half, toasted it in the oven, and spread it with sunbutter and honey and maple butter for lunch. This versatile bread would be a perfect addition to a hot bowl of chili or stew, or on its own.   You can make this vegan by using egg subsitute for the eggs (4.5 tsp. egg replacer plus 6 tbsp. warm water).

Indian Dal

I made this dal to go along with my Indian potatoes, and after letting it simmer for a good 40 minutes, it turned into just the consistency I wanted: a dense, thick porridge-like stew that was rich in flavor and was the perfect complement to the potatoes. I hope you enjoy!

Indian Dal

1 1/2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. black mustard seeds
1 red chile (or 2 if you're feeling the need for some extra spice)
1 tbsp. chopped jalapeno or hot pepper
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. salt
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup yellow lentils
2 cups gluten-free chicken or vegetable broth (I used Pacific Chicken Broth)
1/2 - 1 tsp. garam masala

Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds and the red chile, and continue to heat for about 1 1/2 minutes, until the mustard seeds start to pop. Add the garlic, jalapeno, ginger, and turmeric and continue to heat for another minute. Add the onion and salt, reduce heat, and saute until the onion begins to turn translucent.

Add the yellow lentils to the pot and stir into the onion mixture, and then add 1 cup of the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, add the 1/2 - 1 tsp. garam masala, then cover and simmer until most of the broth has been absorbed. Add the other cup of chicken broth, and do the same: bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer. Feel free to add more garam masala if you would like a stronger flavor (I did!).

Once the lentils begin to get soft (this took about 30 minutes for me), you can remove the lid and let some of the liquid evaporate so it will become thicker and less soupy. Serve with Indian bread, rhoti, or with rice. Or with Indian-spiced potatoes!

Roasted Potatoes with North Indian Spices

I have been craving these potatoes ever since the last time I made them (which was for my friends Reena and Lisa). Spicy and bursting with flavor, they are everything I love about Indian food. Crispy on the outside and wonderfully tender on the inside, these are absolutely delicious; the flavors unravel in your mouth as each spice reveals itself. These are some seriously bold potatoes. So since I just happened to have bought some fresh mint last weekend, and since I still have some cilantro left from my carrot soup, tonight was the night for these. At the same time, however, I did not want to have a dinner comprised solely of a giant bowl of potatoes. So I got a little creative and used some yellow lentils to make myself a dal to go along with them. I used most of the same spices that the potatoes call for, and it turned into a deliciously thick stew-like consistency. It was dense enough that you could eat it with naan (if you can eat naan, that is). The potatoes and lentils were wonderful together, and if you like spicy, you will love this.

Roasted Potatoes with North Indian Spices

3 1/2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
3 pounds small red potatoes, quartered
1 3/4 teaspoons black mustard seeds
6 dried red chiles
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 jalapeño, seeded and minced
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala
Cooking spray
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint (optional)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (optional)
8 lime wedges (optional)

Preheat oven to 400°.  Combine 1 tablespoon oil and potatoes, tossing to coat. Set aside.

Heat remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons oil, mustard seeds, and chiles in a large skillet over medium-high heat; cook 1 1/2 minutes or until seeds begin to pop. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add ginger, garlic, and jalapeño to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in salt, turmeric, and Garam Masala; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add spice mixture to potatoes, tossing to coat. Arrange potato mixture in a single layer in a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Bake at 400° for 25 - 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender, browned, and crisp, stirring every 10 minutes. Stir in cilantro, mint, and juice, if desired. Serve with lime wedge.

Roasted Spiced Pattypan Squash

Lisa, being the avid and talented gardener that she is, is always bringing something fresh for us to experiment with in the kitchen. Last night, she brought a pattypan squash she had just picked that morning, sliced it up into wafery slices, and marinated it in spiced olive oil before roasting it in the oven. This was my first pattypan squash culinary experience, and wow. What resulted was an almost melt-in-your-mouth side dish that had a slight sweetness to it, yet was balanced nicely by the other spices.

Roasted Spiced Pattypan Squash

1 patty pan squash, sliced into thin pieces

2 - 3 tbsp. olive oil

Fresh chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
Ground coriander to taste

Ground cumin to taste
Ground turmeric to taste

Ground pepper to taste

Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 425. Mix all spices to your own taste in the olive oil. Slice the squash into small pieces, then toss them in the olive oil so they are all coated evenly. Place on a foil-lined baking pan and place in oven to roast. They should roast for about 15-20 minutes, and should be turned or flipped after about 10 minutes to ensure even roasting. Take them out of the oven when they have become soft with a slight crispness around the edges. Serve as a side dish or with rice.

Chutney-Topped Tofu Curry Cheesecake

Do NOT let yourself be put off this dish just because the name has the word "tofu" in it. If you like curry, you will love this. If you hate tofu, it doesn't matter because you won't taste any! The flavor is immense, and there is a perfect balance between the curry cheesecake and the delicious ginger mango chutney that is slathered over the top of it. I had to force myself to stop eating it, to be honest, but only because there were other people at the table who wanted some. I cannot emphasize the word "force" enough in that sentence,though! Heidi and Ben did a fabulous job with this appetizer.



Chutney-Topped Tofu Curry Cheesecake

1 cup unsalted raw cashews, finely ground
1 8-oz. package regular or tofu cream cheese (Heidi used Tofutti brand)
1 8-oz. package silken tofu
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. curry powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 cup mango chutney

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Lightly oil the inside of a 7-inch spring-form pan. Spread the ground cashews over the bottom of the pan and use your hands to press them into an even layer. Place the pan in the oven until cashew crust is lightly toasted, about 5 minutes. Be careful not to burn the nuts. Remove from oven and set aside.

In a food processor or using a hand mixer, process or beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the tofu, cornstarch, curry powder, salt, and cayenne, and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture evenly into the prepared pan. Cover with aluminum foil, making several holes in the foil for steam to escape. Place a trivet, rack, or a small heatproof bowl in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker. Pour an inch of boiling water into the bottom of the cooker. Place the foil-covered spring-form pan on top of the trivet, cover, and cook on Low for 4 hours.

Take the pan out of the cooker, remove the foil, and let it stand until cool. Once cool, cover and refrigerate for at least several hours or overnight. Let cool completely before removing the pan.

To serve, remove the sides of the pan, using a knife to loosen it if necessary. Spread the top of the cheesecake with the chutney and serve with crackers. We used Hazelnut Nut Thins, but the curry cheesecake is so strongly flavored that it probably does not matter too much what you serve this with.