Category Archives: pastas, nuts, and grains

Apr 18 0 comments
beans, slaws, quiches, mashers, and casseroles, pastas, nuts, and grains

Chickpea & Quinoa Cakes

I promise that my intention is not to make this blog into a quinoa fest. But this was another recipe so good I would have shared it anyway, so here it is–quinoa and chickpea cakes with chipotle and curry. Spicy, rich, filling, and stupid good for you.

It’s meals like this that make quinoa fun.

 

Chickpea & Quinoa Cakes

1/2 cup cooked quinoa

1 can chickpeas, drained

1/2 onion

2 garlic cloves

1 egg

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp curry

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp chipotle

1/4 corn flour

1 tbsp chia seeds

Salsa and avocado to top

Combine all ingredients but the corn flour in a food processor. Blend until all the ingredients have been broken down. Place in a bowl and stir in the flour. Heat 1/4″ oil in a heavy pan. Form the batter into 3″ round cakes. Fry on both sides for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Top with salsa and sliced avocado and serve.

Apr 08 1 comments
pastas, nuts, and grains, vegetables

Quinoa Stuffed Portabellas

This month Dan and I are eating a little differently. Part cleanse, part elimination diet, part recipe-creating challenge, we’ve cut some things out to shock our bodies and our habits. We’re 8 days in and I’m split between loving it and thinking it’s stupid. Basically, we’re doing no meat, no booze, and low carbs. The low carbs has been umbrellaed to mean both no processed grain and very few whole grains. I really want a super fluffy pancake. What I have enjoyed, however, is the challenge of coming up with meals that fit into this very limited scope. I’ve been experimenting a lot (I made cauliflower falafel!) and we’ve both tried things outside our comfort zone. I think that even after May 1st we’ll keep some of these recipes in our canon. Tonight’s dinner, for instance, is portabellas stuffed with quinoa, feta, and shallots. Simple, delicious, and extremely full of good.

Quinoa Stuffed Portabellas

4-6 large portabellas, depending on how many you’re serving

2 cups cooked quinoa

1 cup crumbled feta

1 tbsp butter

1 large shallot

1 tbsp fresh rosemary

Dash of curry

Dash of garlic powder

Dash of paprika

Dash of pepper

Dash of salt

Olive oil to drizzle

Parmesan to top

Cook your quinoa. Stem and gill your mushrooms.  In butter, sauté shallots (sliced) and rosemary (chopped) until tender. Mix together quinoa, feta, shallots, and spices. Place the mushrooms top down on a baking sheet. Fill them with quinoa mixture. Drizzle with olive oil and top with grated parmesan. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender.

Apr 10 2 comments
pastas, nuts, and grains, the picnic series

Lori’s Sesame Pasta Salad

Long time blog readers will remember my Aunt Lori.  She won the first (and only) recipe contest we held for Biscuits and Such’s first blogoversary.  Full disclosure: it was a blind judging (and I was not a judge).  Her coca-cola cake wowed everyone.  Aunt Lori is the wife of my father’s only brother, my Uncle Kevin, and the mother of my two hilarious cousins, Charlie and Anna.  The “other Rosemonds” (as they are commonly referred to in our house) are some of the closest family members we have.  Aunt Lori and Uncle Kevin have always been there, listening, supporting, and loving us.  They’re the best kind of family to have.

This recipe is from the 1986 Durham Junior League’s cookbook Even More Special.  And I have to say, for a recipe as old as I am, it was completely spot on.  I’m not always a fan of pasta salads that are heavily mayo-based, they can often feel too heavy and inappropriate for spring and summer outings.  This, in comparison, was perfect.  It was light, refreshing, flavorful, and completely packed with fresh vegetables.  I love a pasta dish that can feel healthy and heavenly at the same time.  I will be adding this one to my picnic repertoire, you can count on that.

Anna cannon-balling it at the Rosemond family Reunion, 2009

Charlie, Anna, & Petey

From Left: Aunt Lori, my mom, Cathy, and Aunt Jill

Dance Festival Favorite Pasta Salad
Adapted from the 1986 Durham Junior League Cookbook Even More Special

1 pound fusili or twisted pasta, cooked

4 tbsp fiery toasted sesame oil

4 chicken breasts

1/8 cup sesame seeds

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup sesame oil

1/3 cup rice wine vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 bunch green onions, sliced

1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 cup sprouts

1/2 red onion, diced

6 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped

Cook your chicken in 2 tbsp fiery sesame oil.  Chop and set aside.

Toast sesame seeds in 1 tbsp fiery sesame oil.  Set aside.

Boil your pasta in salted water with 1 tbsp fiery sesame oil.  Drain and rinse with cold water.

Toss chicken, pasta, and sesame seeds in canola oil, sesame oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper.  Chill for 6 hours.

Prepare and stir in the vegetables before serving.

 

Oct 12 2 comments
beans, slaws, quiches, mashers, and casseroles, pastas, nuts, and grains

Deluxe Mac & Cheese

I’m going to start this post by apologizing.  I have no process photos to offer.  This weekend was a hot mess.  Our building’s hot water heater broke Friday and so all weekend I was well… dirty.  And grumpy.  Sunday we were planning on going to Northern Virginia to meet our new niece Amelie and see her (always wonderful) big sister Meredith and their parents, Megan and John.  Because we were dirty (and unkempt) I scheduled haircuts in Takoma Park with our favorite hair stylist and planned on getting shampooed and trimmed on our way south.  Sunday morning was a whirlwind of cooking and baking for the new parents and their family- enchilada casserole, eggplant lasagna, crispy marshmallow bars, and this amazing bacon-laden mac and cheese.  Needless to say between the cooking and the inability to properly wash the dishes I was using, I didn’t take any pictures.  I’m sorry.

photo by John Turcotte

This is Amelie.  She’s adorable and sweet and makes very, very cute faces.  We absolutely love being Aunt and Uncle to her big sister and we can only imagine that Amelie will be as much of a delight as Meredith.  Welcome to the family, little one!

photo by John Turcotte

Deluxe Mac & Cheese

1 lb macaroni or shells

1 lb bacon

1 tbsp butter

3 shallots

3 cups porcini mushrooms

2 cloves garlic

1 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup extra sharp white cheddar cheese

1/2 cup gruyère cheese

3 cups milk

2 tbsp flour

1 cup heavy cream

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp salt

1/2 stick butter

Boil macaroni.  Set aside.  Cook bacon.  Set aside.  Slice shallots and mushrooms, mince garlic.

Remove all but 2 tbsp bacon grease from the pan.  Add 1 tbsp butter.  Add shallots and mushrooms to pan.  Cook over medium low heat until caramelized.  Remove.  Add mushrooms to the pan and, if necessary, a touch more butter.  While those are cooking, grate your cheese and chop your bacon.

Remove the mushrooms from the pan when browned.  Stir together mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and chopped bacon.

In a medium pot heat milk and cream.  Be careful that it doesn’t get too hot, the milk could curdle.  When it is hot, set aside.

In the same pot, melt 1/2 stick of butter.  Whisk in flour and continue whisking to prevent clumps.  Stir the milk mixture back in and add 3/4 of the grated cheese.  Stir until cheese has melted.  Remove from heat and add lemon juice, paprika, and salt.  Stir the bacon mixture into the pasta.  Place in a casserole dish.  Ladle the cream mixture over the pasta.  Stir once to make sure it is evenly coated.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.  Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

May 02 7 comments
cookies, cakes, tortes and cupcakes, pastas, nuts, and grains

Dark Chocolate Coconut Granola Bars

Despite the fact that a large portion of my time (and energy) is dedicated to the art of food, I’m not always a good eater.  And although I’m dedicated to putting a healthy and well balanced meal on the table every evening (except for days when I fry something, or when we order Chinese because my head hurts), I don’t always carry that policy through for the other meals of the day.  The thing is that unless I’m eating breakfast and lunch at home, I usually forget to consider them.  I don’t consider them at the grocery store, I don’t consider them the night before, and I absolutely don’t consider them as I’m running out the door in the morning, heavily processed low fat granola bar in hand.

I know, it’s awful.  Two bad-for-me-granola-bars does not a healthy lunch make.  The thing is, I pretty much always hate sandwiches and buying snacks means cutting other grocery bill corners, and I’d rather eat local organic kale for dinner one night, you know?  Unfortunately (for the kale), Dan does not share my opinion, and has loudly expressed that it is his job to take care of me and that I’m making it very hard for him by not eating properly.  And because it’s a recession and I don’t want him to lose his job, I’ve decided to try harder.  I’m a great employer, obviously.

And I really have been trying harder.  Making exciting bread so that sandwiches are delicious and not boring.  Making flatbread and hummus to snack on throughout the day.  Remembering to grab a ramp biscuit out of the freezer before I start getting dressed in the morning.  Baby steps to maturity, you could say.  Today, I took it up a notch by trying to replicate my favorite (but oh so expensive) granola bar, the Kashi Dark Chocolate Coconut.  It’s exactly what it sounds like, and heavenly.  They are delicious, fairly good for you, easy, and I know I’ll go out of my way to grab one tomorrow morning.

Dark Chocolate Coconut Granola Bars

2 cups oats

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup coconut

1/4 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup brown sugar

Pinch of salt

2 cups dark chocolate

4 tbsp coconut, for topping

Spread oats, walnuts, and 1/4 cup coconut on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

While that is in the oven, melt brown sugar and honey on the stove.  When the sugar is melted, throw in salt and set aside.

Mix together, honey mixture, oat mixture, and wheat germ in a large bowl.  Line a baking pan with parchment or aluminum foil and spread the granola out.  I like the granola pretty thin, but you can make it as thick as you’d like.

Bake at 300 for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.

Once the granola has cooled, melt the chocolate in a double boiler.  Break the granola apart into rectangles or chunks, and dip each piece in the chocolate.  Sprinkle with coconut and set aside so the chocolate can set.