Tag Archives: homemade

Vegetarian Pumpkin Chili with “Meaty” Sweet Potato Chunks

Posted on January 10, 2012 | Leave a comment

I forgot to get a final photo before it was gobbled up - but here is one in process :)

I was the co-hostess of a beautiful women’s event on Saturday, and since it’s January I wanted to make a hearty stew to warm our bellies. A lot of my friends are vegetarian or vegan, and our guest of honor is allergic to gluten, so I decided that I better invent something to fit all that criteria. That’s when I came up with this amazing (if I do say so myself) chili recipe!

I actually used about double the amount of chili powder than I list in the recipe, but it was too spicy for my taste. A couple of folks who really like heat raved about the spiciness, but I suggest you start with the amounts I have below and adjust according to your preference.

Anyway, here’s my new creation! If you cook it, please let me know what you think:
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Vegetarian Pumpkin Chili with “Meaty” Sweet Potato Chunks
Makes about 3 quarts of chili

INGREDIENTS
Sweet Potato Chunks:
1 sweet potato, cubed (about the size of dice)
1 tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
¼ tsp chili powder

Chili Pot:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
salt to taste
1 green or sweet red pepper, diced
1 large sweet onion, diced
4 oz mushrooms, sliced (I like mini bellas) and sautéed in 1 tsp olive oil
15 oz can tomato sauce
15 oz can diced tomato
15 oz can red kidney beans or black beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz canned plain pumpkin
7.5 oz  can chipotle peppers adobo sauce (using less than full can)
2 cups frozen corn
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DIRECTIONS

Baked Sweet Potato Chunks:
Mix sweet potato, oil and seasoning in a large bowl
Spread on parchment paper
Bake at 400° for 20 minutes
Use a spatula to mix / flip potato cubes
Bake for additional 10 minutes
Pull out of oven and allow potatoes to cool and firm up before adding to chili

Chili Pot:
In a large pot (at least 4 quarts) warm 1 tbsp olive oil
Add diced pepper, onion, and sprinkle of salt
Saute until peppers are softened and onion pieces become translucent (not browned)

Add sautéed mushrooms with juice
Add canned tomato, beans, and pumpkin
Chop up 2 large chipotle peppers and add to pot along with 1 tsp adobo sauce
Mix in seasoning and add salt to taste

Let simmer on low for 1 hour, stirring occasionally
Taste and adjust seasoning / spice according to your preference
Mix in frozen corn and baked sweet potato chunks

Let simmer for another 30-60 minutes

Serve warm. I like to garnish with a dollop of sour cream, especially if I made it extra spicy.
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TIPS:
  • This recipe turns out pretty thick, which I like… but if you prefer your chili soupier, add some tomato juice.
  • Make sure you get canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce that do not have wheat flour added if gluten is an issue. I used San Marcos brand.
  • As always, try to use organic items. I love Meijer Organics products and used them for my beans, tomatoes, and corn.
  • I also suggest that you purchase all of your spices at Harvest Health. They are much more potent, and much cheaper than what you will find at a grocery store (about $1 per ounce).

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Nana’s Christmas Cookies – The Best in the World

Posted on December 15, 2011 | Leave a comment

About 10 years ago my Nana said that it was just getting to be too much work to make her famous Christmas cookies every year – so I took the tradition on, like a responsibility to my family. After all, it’s not Christmas morning without these crumbly butter cookies to dip in our coffee (spiked with Carolans Irish Cream).

These are NOT sugar cookies. Let me repeat: If you are in the same room with Nana Routsong, you are NOT to refer to these cookies as sugar cookies (you’ll get a tongue lashing). They’re butter cookies – savory enough for all that frosting to make sense… in fact, it’s a perfect balance of salty and sweet. You may know this type of cookie as shortbread. It’s a simple recipe, but pretty time-consuming from start-to-finish. It’s a labor of love.

These cookies are a big, big deal in my family. My mom and her brother and sister grew up (for the most part) in Traverse City, Michigan. Winters are cold and harsh in northern Michigan, but it makes Christmastime beautiful. The heavy snow outside makes indoors feel extra cozy, and baking just comes naturally. Nana had made these Christmas cookies every year since her kids were little, then, when I was a kid I would help her make them. The smell of these cookies, all frosted and sprinkled, brings all of us right back to those warm, cozy, childhood Christmases.

In my teen years, when none of us were helping her bake any longer, Nana was making them on her own, and shipping them out to her kids and grandkids in 3 different states. It just got to be too much for her to handle. These cookies are kind of a lot of work, even in my 20s, so I don’t blame Nana for throwing in the towel in her 70s. That’s when I decided to step in. Going without butter cookies on Christmas is not an option.

I make them almost exactly the same way Nana did, except I use real butter instead of margarine. Nobody in my family can actually really taste the difference, but I like the fact that butter is more natural.

The Recipe:

Nana’s Butter Cookies

  • 3 Cups sifted flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 egg unbeaten
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup margarine (I use butter)

   Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together.
   Cream margarine and sugar together thoroughly. Add egg and vanilla. Beat until fluffy.
   Gradually stir in sifted dry ingredients until well blended (will be the consistency of Play-Doh).
   Roll small amount of dough 1/8″ thick on a lightly floured board. Shape with cookie cutters as desired.
   Place on ungreased baking sheet (I use parchment paper) at 350° until delicately browned (about 8-11 minutes).

As I am pulling them out of the oven, I lay them out on my kitchen table which I first cover with wax paper. You have to let them cool flat, and they must be completely cooled prior to decorating or the heat will melt the frosting. When it comes to frosting, the basics work best, and nothing “fancy” tastes the same as the ones Nana used to make.

I use Pillsbury plain white (or plain vanilla) frosting as my base. Whipped frosting does not harden properly, and your decorations will smear everywhere when you stack them (we learned from experience). Similarly, you can’t use decorating gel, or the frosting in the aerosol cans. They are easier to use, but the colors tend to bleed, and also smear. Just use the standard icing, in any colors you choose – and lots of different kinds of sprinkles!

Get creative – Each cookie is like an art project, so have fun!

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My Favorite Pot Roast Recipe (feat. Kingma’s Market)

Posted on July 6, 2010 | 3 Comments

Look at those gorgeous lavender flowers!

I went to Kingma’s today for the first time ever. If you have not been there, you need to go immediately. I had no idea what I had been missing out on. Kingma’s is a little grocery store on Plainfield in Grand Rapids that sells lots of local, fresh food. I noticed that they even carry organic cheese from a farm in Coopersville! They also have a massive selection of beer, wine, produce, AND delicious bulk snacks like dried fruit, nuts, and candies. I picked up some cinnamon yogurt covered pretzels (which taste like a more intense and creamy version of cinnamon toast crunch) and candied ginger slices.

The meat counter, however, is where they really shine (and why they’re a local favorite). This huge counter is full of freshly cut meats as well as tons of different types of sausages, most of which are made right there. I walked up to the counter and asked the butcher to suggest a nice cut of meat, about 2 lbs, for my pot roast. He suggested an English Cut Chuck Roast, which is gorgeous, and only cost a whopping $7! I asked him where their meats come from as he was wrapping up my beef – he told me that it all comes from a farm in Holland where there are no growth hormones used, and that all of it is farm fresh (never frozen) and all cut and/or ground freshly in the store.

So, I am just waiting for my roast to be done cooking. My mom taught me how to cook pot roast this way, but I never make it exactly the same. The ingredients are always based on what sounds good to me that day, and what is available to me organically, as I never use pesticide-sprayed produce …yuck.

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Here’s what I have done so far:

  1. Sprinkle roast with salt and coarsely ground black pepper. Coat all edges with Herbs de Province from G.B. Russo. (hint: it’s the abundance of lavender that makes this mix so fantastic with beef!)
  2. Warm about 3 tbsp butter in the bottom of a large dutch oven, add 3 cloves sliced garlic, and turn up to high.
  3. Once it’s good and hot, but not yet browned, sear the meat  in the butter on both sides, for about 3-4 minutes per side.
  4. Deglaze (with the meat in the pot) with about 1/4 cup of rich red wine like cabernet or merlot.
  5. Remove pot from heat.
  6. Slice up about 8 carrots, 2 onions, 6 potatoes… leave the skin on the carrots and potatoes for a hearty, rustic meal.
  7. Lift the meat to put some sliced veggies underneath, and then put the other veggies around and on top of the meat. You want to fill the pot up about 2/3 full so use however many veggies you need to accomplish this.
  8. Pour in 2 boxes of organic beef broth. You want the liquid to *just* cover the top of the veggies, so if you come up short go ahead and add some water, it won’t hurt a thing.
  9. Cover and put in the oven at 325 degrees for an hour.
  10. After an hour, mix in veggies that don’t take as long to cook (sliced portobello mushrooms and frozen organic corn in my case).
  11. Put back in the oven for an hour and a half, after-which you will want to check the tenderness of the meat. You will want to keep cooking until the meat falls apart with a fork.

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Chinese Food at Home

Posted on March 24, 2010 | 2 Comments

A couple months ago my parents invited my husband and me over for some of my dad’s homemade Chinese food. He made sweet and sour shrimp and shrimp egg rolls. I have been a slacker about uploading photos, so here they are, finally.

The sweet and sour sauce was from a jar, but warmed on the stove with freshly sliced grapes, black cherries, kiwi, pineapple, blueberries, mangoes, sweet gherkins, and red and yellow peppers. The shrimp that he battered and fried was from Key West.

Dad used the same shrimp, chopped, in the filling for the egg rolls. He taught my mom and me how to roll egg rolls, but he handled the deep-fryer. He has been using the same egg roll recipe for years and years from the classic book, The Pleasures of Chinese Cooking. He ordered me a used copy online so now I have my own as well.

The meal was a fantastic success. I am not a huge fan of sweet and sour because it is just too sweet for me, but I liked it with the fresh fruit. It would be nice if Chinese restaurants prepared it that way. The egg rolls were amazing and have been a favorite of mine since I was a kid. Check out the vibrant colors in these pictures!

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Recipe Invention: Cheap, Healthy, Easy

Posted on March 23, 2010 | 1 Comment

Yesterday I went to Meijer with $75 and the intention of buying as much food as possible to feed us all week (you know, in addition to the normal things that I needed to pick up; toiletries, condiments, booze…). This isn’t a lot of cash when you take into account the fact that I only buy nutritious food, mostly organic, or at least “all natural.”

When I want to make something healthy that also makes great leftovers, I like to make a big pot o’ food, like pot roast, chili, or stew. I didn’t have enough cash to buy a big chunk of beef from Harvest Health or Heffron Farms, and I have searched Meijer high and low, and have only found ONE organic meat item there. So, I wanted to figure out how to make something with with that one item; Coleman Organic sun-dried tomato & basil chicken sausage. Meijer’s meat selection might suck, but they sure do have an excellent assortment of Meijer Organics products for a fraction of the price of other organic options.

So, here’s what I bought…
  • Meijer Organics canned crushed tomatoes $1.65
  • Meijer Organics whole wheat penne rigate $1.99
  • Meijer Organics pasta sauce $2.35
  • Baby-bella mushrooms $2.99
  • 2 Packs organic sausage @ $5.49 each
Total Cost $19.96 (Under $20!)

I wanted to include zucchini and peppers, but Meijer did not have them organically grown.

When I got home I realized that the mushrooms were not organic, which bummed me out. It looked like all of their mushrooms were organic, so I grabbed the baby-bellas without thinking. Next time I will get the mini-bellas which are organic and the same price per oz.  I also realized that I was probably a little low on pasta, so I added about 6 additional ounces of shells that I had in my cupboard.

Here’s what I did with it all…
  • Start the water boiling to cook the pasta, and put the pasta in the pot once it is boiling. You can easily prepare the rest of your items while making the pasta.
  • Slice up and brown all of the sausage. You need to use a little olive oil since chicken sausage is not fatty like pork sausage.
  • Once browned, add the can of organic crushed tomatoes and let simmer on low while preparing the rest of the items.
  • Slice up the mushrooms and sauté on low with butter and a little salt and pepper. The sweetness of butter complements the velvety texture of sautéed portobello mushrooms.
  • Once your pasta is cooked and drained, return it back to the large pasta pot.
  • Mix in the sausage, tomato sauce, and mushrooms. I put the mushroom juice from the pan in as well. Pour the whole can of spaghetti sauce in and mix it all up.
  • It should be warm enough to serve.
  • Top with shredded cheese if you would like.

My husband and I both loved it. After one bite, he told me to remember to make this meal often. I can’t wait to try it again when I can add more veggies from the farmers market. This big pot o’ food would serve at least 8 people, and has all of the goodness of organic chicken and tomatoes. If you can’t eat it all, you can put some into freezer bags and store it the freezer for later. If you have kids, though, I bet you won’t have any trouble getting through a whole pot. It’s a great family meal that is cheap, healthy, and easy.

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Sushi Party!

Posted on March 20, 2010 | 1 Comment

My husband and I were invited over to the home of another couple who we are great friends with (Todd and Amy) to make sushi together a few weeks ago. I keep forgetting to upload the photos, so, here they are! Finally! The fish and most of the fixins were purchased at Asian Delight Marketplace. I highly recommend that you stop in there and take a look around. They have everything there; meat, produce, ice cream and other frozen goods, and several aisles with just about every Asian grocery imaginable. The candy aisle alone is worth the trip. We also had some amazing sake that Todd picked up; Coconut Lemongrass by Moonstone. It was refreshing and mildly sweet.

Making sushi rolls is actually really easy. The rice-on-the-outside kind is more difficult so we usually don’t bother with those. I learned pretty much everything I needed to know from this book, and have tutored lots of our friends at various at-home sushi parties. EVERYONE gets the hang of it after one roll. You should give it a try, too!

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Movie Review: How to Cook Your Life

Posted on March 13, 2010 | Leave a comment

I just watched an inspiring movie about Zen Buddhism and the art of cooking mindfully to encourage self-growth and enlightenment. Edward Espe Brown is a Zen Buddhist Priest, Chef, California native, and the focus of the documentary How to Cook Your Life.

The movie follows him into different spiritual retreats that he is leading, using cooking as a means of self-exploration. He and his students cook and meditate together. While they are cooking he gives bits of wisdom. He has beautiful stories and metaphors about food and cookware relating to life, most of it was passed down to him from his Zen Master.

“When you are cooking, you are not just cooking. You are not just working on food. You are also working on yourself. You are working on other people.”

Most of the focus was on bread making, which I enjoyed, since my dad has been making bread from scratch since I was a kid. I felt like I could smell the yeasty dough as he was tutoring his students on kneading and braiding.

The concepts that he shared in his classes really spoke to me. Something that I already practice and was pleased to hear him talk about is the importance of making food with love in your heart and in your hands so that peace, as well as nutrition, can be passed along to those who eat what you prepare. He also teaches the concept of working with the ingredients to create food, not using ingredients to create food. The subtle difference is a beautiful way of thinking. The chef is not superior to the food, and cannot force it to do something that it will not do naturally. The chef must have a conversation between his hands, knives, and ingredients, to create something wonderful together for people to eat.

The objective of the film was confusing as it went off on a few tangents that puzzled me. For example, when Brown was discussing wasted food and the importance of utilizing every bit of what you have, the viewer is suddenly taken away from his class and watching interviews with people on the streets of San Francisco. A poor man who has a hard time getting enough food, and an old hippie woman who gets all of her food from dumpster diving and has not had to purchase food in a grocery store for years. I really enjoyed these parts of the movie, and I obviously understand how that relates to food waste in America, but I was confused as to why we never saw these people again or heard any more about their stories or ways of life.

It took me a little while, but I did notice that Edward Espe Brown is sort of crazy. You would think a Zen Master would be a little bit more “zen” about things. It was uncomfortable to watch him get overwhelmed and short with his students, a couple of times breaking down into tears. I admire the fact that he admits in the film that he has a temper and that he is trying to work on his control issues, but it is still surprising to see him lose his cool in unexpected situations. I found myself occasionally feeling nervous and embarrassed for his students. But, hey, that’s what makes a good documentary, right?

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Cooking with stuff around the house: Spiced Rum

Posted on March 3, 2010 | Leave a comment

So, I just finished my last glass of wine. I should never go into a night with only one glass left in the bottle. I always think “oh, one glass.. that’s all I need,” and then I’m always severely disappointed when I finish it.

So, I raided the liquor cabinet (the top of the fridge) and decided that I need to find a way to use this almost-full bottle of Captain Morgan (not our favorite) that we’ve had since Christmas.

What goes with spiced rum? The only things I like with spiced rum are Bananas Foster and Hot Buttered Rum.

And then it occurred to me – vanilla ice cream! People commonly use vanilla ice cream when they make hot buttered rum (I never have, but I’ve read up on it). So, I thought, why not try an ice cream n’ rum ‘tini?

2 scoops of Breyer’s Natural Vanilla and about 3 shots of rum in a shaker… not a bad combination. Next time I will shake it with ice to help break down the ice cream chunks. I was thinking that I didn’t need them since the ice cream was already cold, but they would have helped churn it together better. It’s kind of strong. Maybe next time I will go a little lighter on the booze.

What should I name it? (I hope it doesn’t already exist)

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It’s about time I review my favorite lunch spot.

Posted on March 1, 2010 | 1 Comment

Let me preface this blog by admitting my obsession with herbs (rosemary in particular) and that I am especially attracted to the interior of Electric Cheetah because of that. When you enter the restaurant there is a huge potted rosemary plant right there to greet you, but that’s not all, the windows are lined with rosemary plants as well. Above the kitchen there is also a gorgeous (but modern) wall mural of herbs; sage, thyme, oregano, chives, etc. The atmosphere is perfect for my taste. And, I also have a special place in my heart for any restaurant that serves local produce and meat (from animals who are treated properly) and Electric Cheetah gets most, if not all, of their meat from Creswick Farms. This is a fantastic place to get a hamburger without feeling guilty about it.

Okay, on with it.

Whenever my friends and I have the chance to meet for lunch we like to go to Electric Cheetah. We are all addicted to their Grilled Cheese Sandwich (provolone, goat cheese, cheddar, roma tomatoes, and caramelized onion on sourdough – with fresh rosemary seared to the outside of the bread) and Tomato Saffron Bisque. The grilled cheese is fantastic but very rich and creamy, so I highly recommend you get a ladle of  bisque to balance it out with a little bit of mild acidity. I also suggest that you substitute the chips that come with the sandwich for their russet fries (for an additional fee). The russet fries are freshly cut before they are fried, so they have an amazing chewy consistency. Plus, they are seasoned with kosher salt and freshly chopped rosemary. They are the best fries I have found in Grand Rapids. And, they come with your choice of two dipping sauces. Some of my favorites are curry catsup, garlic aoli, and creamy parmesan.

My friend Karen and I met at Electric Cheetah for dinner on Saturday night. She especially loves this place because she can’t have gluten, and they offer gluten-free bread and cookies, so she can get her beloved grilled cheese, and some freshly baked monster cookies for dessert. I knew I would be writing a blog about this particular trip, so I decided to try something that I have had my eye on since they unveiled their newly revised menu this month; Black Rice Salad (Forbidden Rice, mixed with garlic, ginger, grape tomatoes, green onions, red peppers, orange segments, organic spinach, cumin, and olive oil, topped with pan seared Scottish salmon).

When the Black Rice Salad was delivered I was beyond impressed. You can see from the picture how vibrant and gorgeous it is. I was surprised by the huge portion considering the price was only $10. When I tasted the salad, though, I must admit that I was disappointed. I did not taste any garlic, ginger, or cumin in this dish, and there were no orange segments. The salad was screaming for tartness, but had none. To me, it tasted like nothing more than rice and veggies tossed in a little bit of oil. Luckily, the salmon had fantastic flavor – herbal and lightly salted. And, although the salmon looked like it may be a little dry, when I broke it apart with my fork it was perfectly moist. The rice and vegetables were both good, but they needed more, so I was generally disappointed with the salad. I still ate almost all of it, but someday would love to try it again with all the flavors promised on the menu.

I would have told the waitress of my disappointment, but she never asked how our meal was tasting. She did stop by once to ask if we “needed anything,” but did not ask how our food was, and without opening that dialog, I am a little timid about “complaining.” Maybe I am expecting too much.

Speaking of wait staff, though, the only problem I have had with Electric Cheetah (and my friends have all commented on it as well) is that their service is generally not great. The food is so fantastic that we keep coming back, but we have learned to stop expecting much from the wait staff. There is one waiter who always does an excellent job, but all of the others who I have encountered have been either weirdly inattentive  or nervous and self-conscious, making us feel the same. For example, we’ve frequently had to flag someone down for things like drink refills because nobody checked up on us. Also, a couple times we have had our waiter come over and randomly offer freshly ground pepper on our food after we were literally halfway done eating. Confusing behavior. Maybe I just have bad luck.

Regardless, I love this restaurant. Everyone in Grand Rapids should dig in to the beautiful dishes they offer on their extremely affordable menu. Do what I have and become a fan of Electric Cheetah on Facebook to keep up on their inventive daily specials and homemade soup selections.

UPDATE: Check out Black Rice Salad, Round II

Electric Cheetah
1015 Wealthy St. SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49506
616-451-4779
http://www.electriccheetah.com/

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A sweet (but not too sweet) and simple cocktail…

Posted on February 24, 2010 | 1 Comment

Last summer my friend Chris and I were spending a lot of time outside, inventing refreshing cocktails. One of my own inventions, which wasn’t sweet enough for his taste, is still a favorite of mine.

I discovered Looza Peach Nectar at Martha’s Vineyard and wanted to incorporate it into a cocktail. I was afraid peach would be too sweet for me and wanted to balance it out with something tart, but rich. Enter chardonnay. Any inexpensive chardonnay will do for this recipe, at least as far as I am concerned. I am not typically a big fan of chardonnay, but it is exactly what the peach nectar calls for.

Peach nectar is thick, and chardonnay is very flavorful, so I added club soda to loosen everything up. The tickle on your tongue is an important aspect of this drink. And, I like the way it waters it all down a bit to make it a light, sitting-on-the-back-porch-in-the-sun, cocktail.

When I mix this drink I use about 1/3 of each ingredient over ice. For my taste, this ratio keeps it refreshing. My friend Chris prefers it sweeter so he mixes it heavier on the peach nectar and adds a little grenadine, which gives the drink a beautiful coral color.

As a side note – Meijer brand club soda seems to be the lowest in sodium. It has practically half as much sodium as Faygo or Canada Dry… even though Canada Dry Club Soda is labeled as being “Low Sodium”! So, check your labels when you buy club soda… there is no reason to take in extra sodium unnecessarily.

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