Category Archives: side dish

Sourdough Dinner Rolls

Our first recipe from food.com. It went really well with meatloaf, though not very many of the rolls actually made it to the table! They were pretty easy for homemade bread too… we might just make them again to go with tomorrow’s turkey!

Ingredients:

1 cup sourdough starter
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon yeast
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar OR 2 tablespoons brown sugar OR sucanat
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 -4 cups flour (we used half whole wheat, half bread flour)
butter, melted

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Esalen Artichoke, Yam & Blue Cheese Scones

Here’s our declaration of the week: we’re going to cook our way through the Esalen Cookbook!

It’s not quite as ambitious as the Julia Child cookbook, but it should be a yummy challenge! So far we love everything we’ve tried from the cookbook and are excited to sample everything! Just a note: while these are healthy, mouth-watering recipes they are not generally quick; so we’ll make sure to mix it up with some less time-intense ideas!

We hope you enjoy our culinary journey, we sure will!!!


Ingredients:

1 large yellow onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium yams
8 ounces artichoke hearts in water
1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
pinch cayenne pepper
1 cup unsalted butter
2.5 cups Asiago, grated
1/2 pound crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons chopped sage


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Herb Onion Stuffing

Another yummy Epicurious find!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 cups chopped onions (about 1 pound)
2 cups chopped celery (4 to 5 stalks)
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoons chopped fresh marjoram
12 cups (generous) 1-inch cubes day-old pain rustique or ciabatta bread with crust (about 1 1/4 pounds)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 cup (or more) low-salt chicken broth

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Buttermilk Biscuits

Ingredients:

3 cups flour (we used 1/2 unbleached all-purpose & 1/2 whole wheat pastry)
2 tablespoons non-aluminum baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter — frozen and grated
1 cup buttermilk (we made our own by adding 1 tablespoon vinegar to 1 cup of whole milk)
 melted butter or buttermilk for brushing on the tops

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Mashed Potatoes & Green Beans

Mashed Potatoes:

1.5 – 2 pounds organic potatoes
whole milk
heavy cream
butter

Cook potatoes according to pressure cooker instructions
Scoop cooked potatoes into mixer
Add at least 2 tablespoons butter, but as much as you want
Pour in at least 1/2 cup milk, but as much as you want for desired consistency
Add a splash of heavy cream
Mix to desired consistency
Top with pats of butter
Serve hot

Green Beans:

1 pound of green beans
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 large shallots
salt
pepper

Blanche the green beans in boiling water for 3 minutes
Drain the beans and immediately run cold water over them
Heat the butter and olive oil in a saute pan; saute the shallots on medium heat for 5-10 minutes
Toss the green beans and shallots with salt and pepper to taste
Heat all together, only until green beans are hot

Black Bean Ful

Ingredients:

2 cups dried black beans
6-8 cups water

1/4-1/2 cup olive oil
4-5 cloves garlic
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 cup copped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

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Pesto

This recipe is a conglomerate of a bunch of different recipes! By using walnuts instead of pine nuts, you get a very earthy-tasting pesto. The flavor goes great with whole wheat pasta and sun-dried tomatoes! Or spread on a sandwich with some fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and prosciutto!

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh basil
3 garlic cloves (minced)
1/4 cup walnuts (finely chopped)
1/2 cup shredded cheese (your choice: parmesan, pecorino romano or asiago are all good choices)
1/2 cup (or more) olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

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Kale Salad


Salad Ingredients:

Large head of kale such as curly, Russian red or dinosaur
1⁄2 medium sized red onion
Several handfuls of sunflower sprouts
1⁄4 cup sesame seeds
1⁄4 cup pumpkin
1⁄4 cup sunflower seeds
1 avocado cut into chunks
1 handful thinly sliced shitake mushrooms

Dressing Ingredients:

1/3 cup of Braggs Liquid Aminos
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup flax seed oil

Directions:

Combine the Braggs and lemon juice in a blender and slowly drizzle in the oil until emulsified
Slice onion into thin moons and marinate in dressing while preparing the salad
Toast the seeds until golden and fragrant and cool
De-stem the kale and slice into 1⁄4” ribbons
Toss the kale, sprouts, seeds, avocado and mushrooms with the dressing/onions
Let sit a few hours to allow flavors to combine and the kale to wilt

Italian Potato Salad

Some of us really like potato salad, in all it’s many variations. Basically if it has potatoes, it must be good.
But some of us aren’t big fans of mayo, so when a potato salad must be made, we like this lighter, Mediterranean version!

Prep time: 10-15 mins Cook time: 10 mins

ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
6 tablespoons olive oil (preferably extra-virgin)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons drained capers
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
8 tablespoons sliced green onions

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Avocado Potato Salad

Monday night. It’s Peter’s night to cook for Lisa. At 4:00 pm he says “Can you look in the fridge and come up with a fancy dinner I can make for Lisa using what we already have? She’ll be back at 5:30” I grab my laptop, hustle into the kitchen, take stock of what’s there and head over to Epicurious to use their awesome advanced search feature. Based on what we have this is how the four course meal shapes up: Chicken Veggie Quiche, Avocado Potato Salad, Avocado Soup and a Berry Reduction Sauce over ice cream for dessert!

See the Chicken Vegetable Quiche entry for a photo of the salad next to a slice of quiche!

Ingredients:

3/4 pound small red potatoes (about 6)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
3 tablespoons minced fresh chives
1 firm-ripe California avocado

Preparation:

In a saucepan cover potatoes with salted cold water, simmer, covered, until tender, 15 to 20 minutes
Drain potatoes in a colander and quarter
In a bowl stir together warm potatoes, oil, lemon juice, zest, chives, and salt and pepper to taste.
Pit and peel avocado and cut into 3/4-inch pieces.
Add avocado to potato mixture, gently tossing to combine