Delicata satay as a title is a bit misleading since satay technically refers to “meat on a skewer” if you go with the Indonesian roots to this dish. So, now I’m a rebel and breaking all the satay rules by a) using delicata squash and …
Snow falling on my pine trees equates to cravings of all things warm, cozy and filled with goodness. The most recent cozy goodness came in the form of quinoa chili which is packed with a mix of black and pinto beans and veggies which was …
Oh man, are you all in for a treat! Cold weather makes me crave hot food… as in spicy hot! Gotta get that metabolism moving to stay motivated right? Ha! If you prefer less intense heat, you can adjust the spice level to however hot you desire but as written, this recipe for Szechuan chicken has a lot of authentic kick with equal amounts of flavor.
Szechuan (or Sichuan) chicken is abundant with authentic Sichuanese flavors like sesame, garlic and ginger. I used Sichuan peppercorns paired with dried hot chilies that I found at a local Asian market for the true flavor punch that is familiar in that region of China but you can totally use ground black pepper in place of the peppercorns as well and still achieve tasty results. Using chicken thighs will give this meal added fat and a deeper flavor profile which is common among Sichuan cooking but feel free to use chicken breast if you prefer. The results will be divine either way when combined with the spicy sesame sauce. Serve this crazy good Szechuan chicken as is for a keto friendly, low carb meal or pair it with a side of rice or riced cauliflower!
Spicy, zesty, sweet, whole grain mustard goodness is simply a gift of the gods. I even named one of my new chickens Dijon since mustard has become my new favorite condiment. This spring, I learned to make mustard completely from scratch! There are so many …
Whoa. I just need life to slow down right now. My hubby has been home nursing a back injury for a few weeks and all my kids have been home being actively involved in summer activities like swimming lessons, building forts in the woods, and …
I’m dying right now. Not literally of course, but this Minnesota girl can’t handle the sudden heat out there. I need time to acclimate… four weeks ago was a wicked snowstorm and today it’s mid-80’s. With this gorgeous sunshine happening, I planted about half of my garden and am looking forward to heading to the greenhouse tomorrow to peruse the selection of unique flowers and veggies that I might need to add to my yard or garden that I don’t already have. Cauliflower is something I’ve grown before and haven’t had much luck but I’ll try again because I keep finding amazing ways to use this great cruciferous chameleon of the vegetable world. This time, I’ve discovered that by using cauliflower in a simmer sauce, like in this egg curry, much of the curry flavor is absorbed by our vegetable superstar during cooking leaving barely a hint of the true nutty cauliflower flavor behind so even cauliflower haters will LOVE this combination.
Cauliflower and quail egg curry blends my love of North Indian curries with a touch of my Scandinavian roots. Curries from the northern states in India have a different flavor profile than those of the south. This Punjabi style cauliflower and egg curry bases its ingredient list from the Northern region of the Indian peninsula which tend to feature tomato based sauces with garam masala. To give this a unique flavor blend, I’ve added a touch of cardamom and mustard seed which are used heavily in my Scandinavian heritage. Cardamom is commonly used in other Indian cuisine as well and I happen to adore the twist of something different that cardamom and mustard provides for this dish. I’ve also used adorable nutritious quail eggs (mostly because they’re super CUTE!!!….and they are more similar in size to the cauliflower florets) but you can use hard boiled chicken eggs as well for the same flavor experience!
I am SO in the mood for grilled food now that it appears spring has finally sprung up here in the northern states. We’ve been grilling ALL OF THE THINGS from meat, to veggies, to fruit. One of my new favorites is this margarita salmon. …
I admit I’ve been less than motivated these past few weeks. In part, I blame our out of character April weather patterns bringing a ridiculous dumping of snow upon my Minnesota backyard. The rest of my time has been spent preparing my seedlings in their …
Eggplant is one of the few vegetables that I remember my dad eating as a kid. That, and parsnips. I’ve never really been fascinated by the taste of eggplant but then again, I never tried it roasted or in a dip. Roasted eggplant is a completely different experience as it brings out a little smoky sweetness giving a dip, like this eggplant hummus, amazing flavor. You can also use smoked salt in this dip for a little extra smokiness. Eggplant hummus is just like a traditional hummus recipe but with eggplant used instead of the chickpeas! The taste and texture ends up being very similar to traditional hummus but with more veggie value.
The first time I had eggplant hummus was in a Lebanese deli paired with pita bread. It was pretty fantastic! I actually didn’t know it was eggplant at first because it’s also knows as baba ganoush, which is what it was called on the menu. Baba ganoush (or eggplant hummus) starts by roasting the eggplant until it is completely soft. I roasted mine on the grill at medium heat but a broiler or plain oven roasting will also do the trick. I like the slight smokiness that the grill imparted into the dip. Then you simply scoop out the soft eggplant and put it into a blender or food processor with tahini, lemon, cumin and garlic and you have a dip that’s aimed to please. Serve this vegetarian dip with additional veggie dippers or pita bread! This can also be topped with a few tablespoons of chopped kalamata olives.
Spring break season is in full swing and for the first time in a LOOOONG time, my family actually went somewhere! Usually, our spring break consists of visiting my family farms and then tackling the spring cleaning chores while I have the kids around to …
