Cauliflower Gratin

Creamy gratins with a crispy bread topping are such comfort foods. The amount of cheese in it might be a deterrent for many, but they are perfectly acceptable every now and then.

I followed Ina's recipe to make this gratin.

This is a crispy, yummy, creamy, delicious gratin.

The only changes I made:

1. I used store bought bread crumbs with a mix of herbs
2. I used just parmesan cheese, no gruyere cheese. And I reduced the quantity of cheese to a little less than 3/4 cup.

Zucchini Mini Pizza

I recently had zucchini lasagna at a restaurant and was pleasantly surprised at how well zucchini complemented the flavors of marinara and cheese. So, on a day when I had to make some quick appetizers, I worked with the ingredients on hand to put together something like mini pizza.

Ingredients (makes around 20):

1. 1 zucchini, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
2. 1/2 cup tomato/ marinara sauce
3. 1/4 cup grated parmesan or mozzarella
4. a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
5. salt as needed
6. cracked black pepper as needed

Preparation:

1. Brush some olive oil on the zucchini slices and arrange them on a baking tray.
2. Bake for 5 minutes in a preheated 400 F oven. Flip the zucchinis and bake them for another 2 minutes
3. Spread some tomato sauce on each zucchini slice. Sprinkle with some cheese (I used parmesan), salt (if needed; i.e., if your sauce is not salted) and black pepper. 
4. Put the zucchinis back in the oven and bake for 2 minutes or until the parmesan slightly melts.

Serve immediately as finger food. This is a pretty addictive appetizer that was well received. 

I didn't have any basil on hand, but if you do, you could sprinkle some torn basil leaves or crushed oregano too.

Butternut Squash and Kale Soup with Coconut Milk

I love love LOVE butternut squash. It is one of my favorite fall squashes. I love its buttery, sweet and nutty taste. Unfortunately, the husband hates it as much I love it. He also hates Kale with a passion. But I have made it a practice to buy at least 2 bunches of Kale every week and use them in smoothies, juices, and cooking. Those who wonder why I'm weird enough to make cheesecake and Kale juice the same day - here's my explanation - I have to appease the husband in someway! I'm trying to balance out everything. And really, Kale juice doesn't taste bad! Give Kale a chance.

So, this was a soup that I optimistically prepared, only to finish the entire pot all by myself - the husband wouldn't so much as lay eyes on it after one meal. I had this soup for lunch and dinner for 3 whole days straight - and eventually even I couldn't bare to see Kale for a few days.

After all that honest confession, here's another confession - it does taste good. The butternut squash and coconut milk mask the slightly bitter and pungent taste of Kale. Honestly. I also added other veggies such as onion, tomatoes, bell pepper, carrots and celery. But if you don't like butternut squash, I can't convince you to give this a shot, because it really dominates the flavor of this soup!

Ingredients (serves 7):

1. 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded and diced
2. 1 yellow bell pepper, cubed
3. 1 onion, chopped
4. 2 tomatoes, chopped
5. 2 celery stalks, chopped
6. 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
7. 5-6 cups water or vegetable stock
8. 6 Kale leaves, chopped
9. 1 can coconut milk (1 cup)
10. 3 teaspoons Italian herb seasoning (herb de provence)
11. 2 teaspoons cumin powder
12. 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
13. Salt as needed
14. Cracked black pepper, as needed
15. 4 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a heavy soup pot. When hot, add Italian herb seasoning and onions and saute until onions turn translucent.
2. Add yellow pepper, celery and carrots and saute for 5 minutes.
3. Add butternut squash and Kale and saute for 5 minutes along with salt. 
4. Add tomatoes, vegetable stock/water and bring everything to a boil. Add more water/stock, if needed. 
5. Add turmeric powder and cumin powder, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30-40 minutes until vegetables are cooked.
6. Grind the soup to desired consistency (immersion blenders are great to have), add coconut milk and heat the soup for 5 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and serve with black pepper and some cumin powder

The soup tastes sweet and nutty, with only a hint of Kale... promise.

Hardy Cabbage Soup

Apparently cabbage soup is popular for weight-loss regimes. I had no idea. I didn't make this soup for that express purpose. I only tossed in the vegetables hiding in the corners of my refrigerator, but I realized it was also good as a one pot meal that is nutritious, filling, and advantageous to lose weight.

This is not just cabbage soup - it has a miscellaneous array of vegetables, each one adding its flavor to the soup.

Ingredients (serves 4-6 as a meal):

1. 1 onion, finely chopped
2. 3 stalks of celery, chopped
3. 5 carrots, peeled and chopped
4. 1 sweet bell pepper, chopped
5. 4 cloves of garlic, minced
6. 2 tomatoes, chopped
7. 1/2 of a medium cabbage (about 5 cups), chopped
8. 5 cups vegetable broth
9. 2 teaspoons turmeric powder
10. 1.5 teaspoons oregano / omam seeds / ajwain
11. 1/4 teaspoon thyme
12. a few basil leaves
13. salt, as needed
14. freshly cracked black pepper, as needed
15. Olive oil - 3-4 tablespoons
16. A few scallions for garnish

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a soup pot/crock pot. When hot, add onions and saute until translucent. 
2. Next add celery, carrots and bell pepper and saute on medium heat for 10 minutes
3. Add garlic, saute two minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes, the cabbage, salt, and vegetable broth. Mix well. Close the pot and simmer on low-medium heat for 30 minutes until the vegetables are cooked.
5. Add turmeric, oregano, thyme and basil. Mix well and simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Blend the soup to desired consistency. Check for seasoning, add more if needed, and adjust the consistency by adding more stock if needed

Serve with a slice of bread and a sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper and some scallions. Really flavorful and hardy soup.

Avocado Basil Pesto

Our pot of basil was fast succumbing to the cold, so I salvaged what was left (which wasn't much), and added some avocados on hand to whip up some creamy pesto.

This pesto tastes creamy and nutty with subtle and refreshing flavors of lemon and basil.

Ingredients (yields about 3 cups of pesto):

1.  3 ripe avocados, remove the pit and chop
2.  3 lemons
1. zest of 1 lemon
2. juice from all 3 lemons
3. juice of 1 lime
4. 3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
5. 1.25 cups basil
6. 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley
7. 4-5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8. 1/2 cup mixed nuts (mix together some chopped almonds, pistachios and walnuts worth 1/2 cup)
9. 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
10.  Salt as needed
11. Freshly cracked black pepper, as needed

Preparation:

1. I don't have a food processor, so I struggle to breakdown the basil in an ordinary blender. So this is what I do - I add chopped avocados, the juice of 3 lemons, the zest of 1 lemon, and 3 cloves of garlic and pulse/grind with 2 tablespoons of oil. 
2. When the garlic and avocados are ground, add mixed nuts and some more oil and grind. The nuts don't have to be ground to a smooth paste. Bites of it add to the texture of the pesto. 
3. Finally add basil and parsley (and some oil if needed) and grind to desired consistency. I recently learned that parsley helps retain the vibrant green of the pesto and retards browning because it is rich in Vitamin C. That's why I added parsley - not for the flavor, just for its role in keeping the pesto green.
4. Transfer pesto to a bowl, add salt, pepper and juice of 1 lime. Mix well. You can either add parmesan now, or add it while serving with pasta.

Mix pesto with warm pasta, toss well and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and some parmesan.