Roasted Curried Green Beans An unexpected respite

Due to some less than rigorous flossing and a lapse in regular dental appointments, I had to have what is scarily known as a "deep cleaning" today, when the dental hygienist numbs one side of my mouth so that she can attack everything that is the evil on the left hand side.  I didnt really think much about the appointment, but I did have a slight sinking feeling as all my friends, when I mentioned I was going to the dentist, made that "Oh, I am GLAD I am not you" face, all the while trying to pat my shoulder reassuringly.

Upon my arrival to my dentist, whom I really think is great, I was ushered into a quiet room, where the hygienist asked me to sit down.  She also told me to lean back and put my feet up.  I grabbed my phone/music and asked if it would be all right to listen to some music while she cleaned my teeth.  "Absolutely.  Id love it if youd do that," she said, smiling.

Hold on.  You want me to sit still, lie back, put my feet up, listen to some music so YOU CAN DO THE CLEANING?  Its like a vacation!  I opened my mouth, let her numb it and let the rest of my body completely relax and listened to a bunch of songs I have not been able to listen to because of the Frozen obsession at home.  Before I knew it, she was pulling my chair to an upright position, and I almost found myself saying, "But wait!  Dont you have to do any more?"

After a quick mouth rinse and quick check to make sure she was satisfied, she turned to me and said, "Wow.  You were an amazing patient."

"You probably say that to everyone," I remarked.

"No seriously.  You were so still and so relaxed you really made my job easier," she replied.

"I have three kids and believe me, no one in my house EVER tells me to sit back and relax.  You just gave me a mini vacation!"

The hygienist looked completely surprised and began laughing.  I finished with, "You should only take patients who have three kids.  Theyll be the best."

Now these green beans arent exactly as relaxing as dental visit, but they are pretty relaxing to get on the table.  The beans only require a few ingredients, but the end result is slightly exotic and different, almost like a mini vacation.  And all you have to do is mix some ingredients and roast.  Trust me, youll love these almost as much as I love going to the dentist.

Roasted Curried Green Beans
Serves 4 to 6 people

Ingredients
1 lb french green beans trimmed (these are the thinner green beans)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon curry powder
½ teaspoon sea salt

Method
Preheat oven to 450.    On a large baking sheet (go bigger as more room means the beans roast better) place beans, drizzle olive oil and sprinkle curry powder and sea salt.  Using your hands, toss all the ingredients together to coat the beans.

Roast beans for 12 to 15 minutes, until they are shriveled and the tips and bits are brown and golden. Before removing beans from pan, shake the pan to coat the beans with the spices.

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Make these beans and put your feet up and relax.

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Roasted Cauliflower Chickpea Salad My practical side

My friends often sit by and cringe as they watch the choices I make in the name of practiciality.  For example, to commemorate 19 years of relationships with Husband, I chose to purchase (for myself) a brand new dishsoap dispenser for my kitchen.  The other one I had was corroded and really beyond good use, and this was a lovely change of pace to something new and fantastic.  (I happen to really love my choice, which I picked up on a whim.)  Husband offered to take me out and buy me something, and instead, I chose my soap dispenser.  One girlfriend sarcastically commented that her relationship her husband was 23 years old and what should she get?  The automatic trashcan shes been wanting was my response.  For me, every time I do the dishes, and I press down on the dispenser, Im reminded of how long our relationship has lasted.  Its the practical gift that keeps on giving!

In case you also want to experience a practical and fantastic gift, link below.  

I say this not to brag, but simply to wonder aloud - have I become TOO practical?  I wonder if perhaps a bit of softness might be good for me, or perhaps, maybe what I may need may be some romance.  However, Children, Husband, Job, Work, Volunteering take up a lot of my time and therefore my default is simply practicality.  I cant have everything, I cant do everything, I cant be everything, but I can stay focused and be practical.  I know that there are husbands out there who are silently wishing that their wives would be super practical as well, but let me give you the caveat that no - its not really as good as it sounds.  (Ill have Husband detail to you on that aspect.)

Nevertheless, practicality wins out, and no place more than in my kitchen.  I like my food easy to prepare, and delicious to eat and if it does both of those things, its a winner in my book.  Therefore, when I saw a recipe in Gwyneth Paltrows Its All Good  for cauliflower and chickpeas together in a salad, I couldnt turn my back on it, and in fact, I simply had to make it.  I tweaked her version (addition of golden raisins - my friend SHs fabulous idea) as well as the use of lemon juice instead of vinegar, simply to be ornery.  This salad is lucious, delicious, easy to make, tastes good and is good for you as well.  Its the perfect salad to serve at room temperature (or even warm) and youll be surprised at the chewy texture of the chickpeas as well as the zing of the dressing.  Its definitely a keeper in my kitchen as the simplicity of preparation makes it super yummy.   Great as a side to grilled chicken, or as the perfect vegetarian entree, with some toasted bread.

In the Name of Practicality!

Roasted Cauliflower Chickpea Salad
Serves 4

Ingredients 
14-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained and dried in a kitchen towel
1 head of cauliflower, outer leaves removed and discarded, cut into bite sized pieces
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (dressing), and 3 tablespoons for drizzling
salt
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon seeded mustard
Freshly ground black pepper
? cup golden raisins
¼ cup chopped Italian parsley

Method
Preheat the oven to 400ºF and set the rack in the middle.

Toss the chickpeas and cauliflower together in a large roasting pan with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and a big pinch of salt.

Roast, stirring now and then, until everything is golden brown and the cauliflower is tender,  30 to 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together the lemon juice, mustards, and ¼ cup of olive oil with salt and a few healthy grinds of black pepper.

While the chickpeas and cauliflower are still warm, toss them with the mustard dressing, raisins,  and the parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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And in case you were thinking about her new book, its really a great read with lots of interesting ideas on how to eat better and improve your health.

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Roasted Beet Walnut Feta and Kale Salad The harvest

We are headed into harvest time and I once heard Chef Michael Chiarello describe it as a time where one foot is in the summer and one foot in the fall.  I found it such a beautiful description - that split of the seasons, the moment that the year has a perfect balance.

Sometimes harvest is something different, which is what I experienced today.  For the past 4 years, Ive been cooking the teachers at Childrens elementary school a meal, twice a year, always on the Thursday that I set up for the semiannual book fair. Its at the Teachers preview luncheon, when teachers have an opportunity to choose books for their wishlist boxes and enjoy the book fair without 30 or more kids running around and asking a million questions.  Over the past 4 years, Ive cooked and served a light lunch to some fantastic teachers at our school, favoring simple wholesome food.  Ive cooked chili  most often, as it is always a huge hit with the teachers.  This year I decided to go with a different menu, kale salad with pecans and Parmesan cheese, turkey arugula meatballs on top of a small dinner roll with provolone cheese, and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.  I served freshly cut apples as well as an assortment of drinks.  

With my two loyal and regular assistants by my side, we began serving the teachers.  One helped keep the kale salad flowing, and one made sure that there was enough of a rationing system so that all the teachers would be able to have some meatballs.  (I had hand rolled exactly 124, which makes 62 mini-sandwiches, and I knew there would be some people who would want more.)  My favorite part of the day, was looking over to see that teachers had grabbed chairs and were sitting around in a circle together.  They laughed while eating, and I saw shoulders relax, jokes made, and overall a feeling of warmth and goodness.

That was my harvest today.  I think through the continual planting of consistent food and service, teachers have come to appreciate the moment of respite in their day in the food that they ate.  I saw the harvest of goodness, happiness and kindness today and it made me smile.

In honor of the harvest, both of the bounty of the earth and the bounty of human happiness, I made this wonderful beet salad.  I often roast two kinds of beets all at once, peel the skin off, slice and leave them chilled in the fridge so that I can add them to a salad whenever I wish.  I candy the walnuts all at once, and leave them in a tightly sealed container so that I can enjoy them whenever I want.  I make the dressing ahead of time, so that whenever I feel like it, I can have this salad at my beck and call.  Its the perfect combination of sweet, salty, and nutty all in a harvest-themed salad.  Ive served it multiple times at church functions, always to rave reviews.  You can enjoy it on your own, but I guarantee that if you share, youll also notice a harvest of good will and love.

Roasted Beet, Walnut, Feta and Kale Salad
Serves 5 to 6

Ingredients
3 medium bunches Lacinato/dinosaur kale, washed and rinsed well, roughly chopped (8 cups chopped) OR 8 cups of baby kale

1 or two colors of beets, roasted, sliced

½ cup finely chopped red onions
¼ red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
¼  cup extra virgin olive oil
¼  teaspoon fine grain sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 cups whole walnuts (You’ll need only 1 cup for this salad, but go ahead and make extra)
½ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons butter

¾  cup crumbled feta cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Method
If youve never dealt with dinosaur/lacinato kale, you’ll need to remove the stem before trying to eat it.  Ive found the fastest way is to simply grab the stem with one hand, and with the other, start at the base of the leaf, and it a quick motion, strip the leaf upwards until the stem is left stripped.  Wash, dry very well in a salad spinner, and then roughly chop.

In a large jar, add chopped red onions.  Pour red wine vinegar and sugar over onions and shake vigorously so as to coat onions with vinegar sugar mixture.  Add olive oil, salt, and pepper and set aside until rest of the salad is done, so that onions have time to pickle.  It’s okay if the dressing separates and the vinegar stays around the onions because it aids in the pickling process.

In a large fry pan over medium heat, add walnuts, sugar and butter.  As butter and sugar begin to melt, continuously stir mixture.  Heat for 5 to 7 minutes, until sugar is melted and and butter coats nuts.  Immediately turn nuts out onto a piece of parchment paper, and begin separating the nuts into individual pieces.  Move quickly, otherwise nuts will clump together.

Once all the components are prepared, put together the salad.  If using dinosaur kale, toss kale with dressing and massage and let dressing help wilt the kale for about 6 minutes.  Then place kale on desired serving plate and add sliced beets, walnuts, feta and a nice bit of freshly ground black pepper.

If using baby kale, quickly toss kale with dressing, and then add beets, walnuts, feta, and a healthy grind of black pepper on top.  Serve immediately.  Both versions are really lovely, with the regular tuscan kale version being a sturdier salad, standing up to a bit of time delay while the baby kale does not.  If you can serve it immediately, baby kale is an excellent choice.  If it is going to sit for a while, then definitely use the tuscan kale.

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For the harvest.

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Spinach Feta Roasted Peppers Pasta Salad Back to school routines

Our summer is over.  Daughters school started and once again, Im in the throes of early wakeups, lunch packing, snack packing, school supply shopping, massive form filling, and general breathlessness as I try to keep up with the pace that always accompanies back to school.

But in the midst of it all, I remember my time as a classroom teacher; "Back-to-school" was a time filled with excitement, anxiety, stress, joy, trepidation, and more stress.  Its not an easy time to be a teacher; parents come up to you with a million questions, some students may burst out crying in your class (kindergarten issue), others still may announce in a stage whisper, "This is boring" while all the time you keep that smile plastered on your face.  I make no comparison - as hard as my life is as a parent with back to school, I know the life of a teacher is that much harder.  Im dealing with three children, theyre dealing with over 20.

I always go out of my way, at the beginning of the school year, to do small, quiet things to show teachers that I appreciate what they are going through.  I actually really DO appreciate it, and I dont like to make a lot of noise about it, but I like to do something small for them.  One thing Ive made it a tradition to do is to feed them.  I know that the last thing that a teacher wants to do during their first or second weeks of school is cook - its too harried, too stressful, and the push and shove of many children in and out of your space is hard.  I quietly try and give something nourishing to the teachers after school so that they can enjoy a bit of peace and have some peace of mind, if only for the 15 minutes they eat.

Usually I do the tomato orzo salad, mostly because it holds up well, can be eaten the day after, and I have yet to find a person who doesnt love it.  But I wanted to try something new this time as well, since I had it in my head, a pasta salad that used spinach, bell peppers and feta.  I recruited friend SH, who is usually my partner in crime for food related experiments, and together we set out to make a bunch of pasta salads for different teachers at our school.

The end result was lovely, a pasta salad that was bright, colorful, nutty, sweet, salty, all at the same time.  The teachers got two pasta salads, a few cookies, all packed with a few nice touches for them to enjoy.  Friend SH and I were a bit tired by the time we got to school, but no matter, the smiles on the teachers as well as the squeal of glee from one made it all worth it.  I even got a lovely handwritten note thanking me.  How that teacher managed to do that after her two days, is beyond me.

Spinach, Feta, Roasted Bell Peppers Pasta Salad
Serves 8

Ingredients
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 cup olive oil

1 pound penne, or your choice of pasta salad shape (Bear in mind that baby spinach takes up some space, so you want a shape that isn’t too small that will get overwhelmed)

6 oz bag, baby spinach
1 7-ounce package feta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 medium red onion, sliced
1 cup chopped fresh basil
12 oz jar (drained about 7 to 8 ounces) roasted red pepper (Trader Joes has a very lovely one)
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted (or pine nuts if you prefer)

Method
Whisk vinegar, lemon juice, and honey in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.)

Bring water to boil in pot. Salt water and cook pasta according to package directions. Wash and drain pasta.

Mix together spinach, feta, red onion, basil, roasted red peppers, pasta. . Add vinaigrette; toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.) Add almonds; toss. Serve at room temperature.

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packed up, almost ready to go

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Roasted Squash with Gorgonzola Relaxing

Husband has been been saying it over and over again for the past couple of months, "Relax honey. Teach less, stress less, yell less, work less, just do less."

Its not really in my nature to do less.  I may be one of those people detailed in the New York Times piece "The Busy Trap" who feel a sense of worth from the amount of "busyness business" in his or her life.  Or it could simply be that I have a lot to do and I cant see my way around doing less.

This certainly was the case in June where I almost couldnt find time to breathe.  I think there were days where I literally didnt go to the bathroom after waking up.  I talked to more people during the month of June that I did for the 5 months prior.  I had more to do, more to arrange, more to teach and more to plan.

But suddenly July has hit, and literally my work load has been cut into a third.  Many of my students travel, so they arent around.  Son and Daughters activities have wound down, so there isnt as much driving to do.  I have all three kids going to the same day camp, only half day, which means no lunches to pack and one drop off and one pick up.  Suddenly the day stretches before me and I just have less to do.  And I think God had this little mini break planned for me.  He knew, even when I didnt, that I needed this breathing space.  Believe me, Im taking advantage of it.  I built a crazy lego staircase with Children, practiced my own music (interrupted by Children very quickly, but no matter), talked to friends on the phone, wrote letters to people, and even took a nap one day.  I took the kids to the library on bikes, talked about summer reading, and even had time to do a goofy dance in the mirror with the kids as they were brushing their teeth.  Their giggles were a sweet sweet sound to me.

I keep relaxing in the kitchen.  Friend SH gave me a peeled, cubed, butternut squash and told me to use it up.  I looked at it and thought, what is the EASIEST thing I can do to this?  I decided to roast the squash and toss some sage and gorgonzola with it.  Voila.  Easiest, most relaxing side dish ever.  This will taste great with chicken or pork, but I just relaxed and had mine with buttered toast.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Sage and Gorgonzola
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 cups peeled, cubed butternut squash (about 1 lb)
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 leaves of sage, finely chopped
1/4 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Method
Preheat oven to 400.
Toss butternut squash cubes with olive oil, sage, salt, and pepper. Roast squash for 20 minutes, or until tender. Sprinkle gorgonzola on top. The heat of the squash will melt gorgonzola. Serve.

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