Coconut Salmon ~ Mmm, Mmm, good!

I had an urge to make pudding last night. What to use? A bit of brown rice in the cupboard and part of a huge can of coconut milk! That’ll do the trick. But, what to do with the leftover coconut milk?

Salmon thawing in the frig for supper and why wouldn’t coconut milk fit the bill? Think tropics -- hand-caught fish and coconuts falling off tall trees. Well, enough of that talk. After all I’m in the middle of New York State. The nearest coconut tree I know of is at the Smithsonian Mall -- in the Conservatory of the U.S. Botanic Gardens -- in Washington DC, five hours to the south.

A basic pan-seared salmon fillet is my favorite. A couple of tablespoons of flour, salt & pepper. Warm the pan over medium heat and add a tablespoon of olive oil and one of butter. Dredge the salmon fillet in the flour mixture and shake off the excess.

As soon as the bottom is browned and the fish looks cooked just 1/8-1/4 inch up, turn the fish with tongs. Cook for another 3-5 minutes then start spooning on coconut milk. The milk will sizzle away when it drizzles down onto the pan. Keep spooning for a minute or two.

Turn off the heat under the pan and place the fillet on a plate. Cover the fish with a “tent” of aluminum foil tucked tightly around the edges of the plate.





Stir a few more spoonfuls of coconut milk into the pan.

After a minute or two, remove the foil tent and spoon the extra sauce onto the salmon.

I completed my meal with a mixture of mesclun (baby field greens) and arugula from my garden, topped with EVOO and red wine vinegar.




TV TRAY



As a single person, I sometimes often take my meal to the living room and eat off a TV tray while watching a movie or documentary. TV tray meals are usually carefully prepared thrown together with whatever happens to be in the kitchen, no measurements recorded.

Tortillas, ham, sour cream, chives, cream cheese, tomato, provolone cheese; broccoli


(Last but not least, I hope you'll take a few minutes to visit my other blog, CORNING NY STEP BY STEP -- a view of the city where I live.)

Gruyére-Stuffed Baked Potatoes

What wouldn’t you give for an fairly inexpensive, healthy and absolutely delish food that would please every eater! Something that requires the least bit of preparation.

Eat with a fork or your fingers. Yep, Gruyére-Stuffed Baked Potatoes are finger-licking good. Even your diehard meat eaters will be asking for seconds.

The basic requirements for Gruyére-Stuffed Baked Potatoes are

* baking potatoes
* vegetables, washed, cut up and lightly sauted
* any cheese, shredded. (I chose to use Gruyére, so I got to name the recipe!)


Step 1 - Lightly grease potatoes, wrap individually in foil and bake in a 450-degree Fahrenheit oven for 45-50 minutes.

Step 2 - While the potatoes are baking, cut up vegetables and just barely cook in a pan on the stovetop. I cook them all together in one pan, starting with the ones that take longest to cook. When they are almost done, I add the others. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

Step 3 - When potatoes can be easily pierced with a paring knife, remove from oven using pot holders. Leave oven turned on. Place each potato on a dish to see how it “sits”, then cut off a long piece from the top. Scoop out the potato, leaving enough so it can hold its shape.

Step 4 - Mash potatoes with masher or fork. Mix with salt and pepper to taste, plus oil or butter, till preferred consistency. I mix in EVOO and nutritional yeast for a buttery taste. Gently mix in the vegetables and shredded cheese of your choice and scoop the mixture back into the potatoes, piling it high.

Step 5 - Turn oven to broil. Place potatoes in broiler proof pan. Broil 3-5 minutes, or whatever it takes to brown the tops.


For each potato (approximately 10 ounces, or 300 grams, each), I used 1/4 cup small pieces broccoli, 4 halved snow peas, 2 tablespoons shredded carrots and a heaping 1/4 cup of shredded Gruyére cheese. That also allowed me to stuff the tops (remember those strips I cut off the top of the potatoes?).

The Gruyére is pricy, but so-o delicious! According to Dictionary.com, Gruyére is a firm, tangy cheese, named after Gruyére, a district in Switzerland, where it was first made.

My strategy when shopping for ingredients for any recipe requiring cheese is to ask my supermarket for a taste of the cheese. Sometimes I get other recommendations after stating how I’ll be using it. I listen to my knowledgeable “cheese person” very carefully.

Vegetable Pie Made with Colorful Homegrown Tomatoes

A lip-smacking veggie pie that even your meateaters will be crazy about!

Now that my tomatoes are starting to ripen and it’s become a race to use them before they over-do, Veggie Pie keeps popping into my mind! And BASIL. The original recipe calls for 1 tsp. (dried) basil. Since I have a gardenful (exaggerate!) of basil, I could use that (3 x dried amount). OMG, dried is nothing like fresh.

So, let’s get to it and start using up tomatoes and basil. If you have broccoli or onion in your garden, grab some of those, too.

The best part in making this pie is that the filling ingredients don’t need any mixing. Just layer them in the order they are listed.


VEGGIE PIE MADE WITH COLORFUL HOMEGROWN TOMATOES
(Vegetable Pie from Whole Foods for the Whole Family with my slight changes)

Ingredients...

Crust:
1/2 c. butter (cold!)
1-1/4 c. whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. plain yogurt (I used Oikos Greek Yogurt - my favorite)

Filling:
2 c. finely chopped broccoli (I’ve made it with fresh, but usually thaw a 10 oz. box of frozen chopped broccoli and use that)
1/3 c. diced onion (from my freezer)
1 c. grated cheese (my choice this time was 1/2 c. each shredded cheddar and mozzarella)
2 medium tomatoes, sliced (enough to cover the top)
1/3 c. mayonnaise (I used Light)
1 tsp. basil (I tore up 5-6 medium to large basil leaves)

Directions...

1. Cut butter into flour, baking powder and salt. (I mixed it in a food processor.)

2. Add yogurt and mix.

3. Grease or butter a 9- or 10-inch pie pan. (I greased a 9.5-inch deep-dish, glass pie pan).

4. Pat dough into pie pan.

5. Layer filling over crust in order given.

6. Bake at 450-degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes, then at 350-degrees F for 30 minutes. (Because I used a glass pan, I baked it at 425 for 15 minutes, then lowered the temperature to 325 and baked it 35-40 minutes more.)

I first tested this recipe from La Lache League’s Whole Foods for the Whole Family in April 1990 and have made it numerous times since ‘cause I can’t stop lovin’ it!


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Also from Whole Foods for the Whole Family, another finger-licking good recipe I’ve made throughout the years ~ Fantastic Carob Fudge.

Veggie Cheese Roll-ups

In the mid-90s I worked for a few years at a small cafe where we made everything from scratch. My one and only period in the food business, and what an amazing experience it was. I learned to make Cucumber-Dill Salad Dressing, homemade breads, the best peanut butter cookies in the world, and today’s feature, Veggie Cheese Roll-ups.

These roll-ups are not for the faint-hearted. Although packed with veggies and rolled up in a whole wheat bread dough, they are loaded with full-fat, cholesterol-laden sharp cheddar cheese.

If you’ve got the time, and the inclination, these are a treasure worth whipping up. I don’t make them often. My daughter insists I supply her with lots of them after she gives birth, so it may be that it’s been at least five years*, and four years before that. I really can’t remember, but I’ll never forget the recipe. Kind of like riding a bicycle; it really sticks in my mind. (*Spoke with my daughter and she reminded me this is the first time the youngest has eaten a Veggie Cheese Roll-up.)




You can use your favorite bread dough, even the store-bought kind, or you can use the recipe I’m going to share with you. My dough combines whole wheat and white flours. Oh, by the way, this is the first time I’ve made the dough since I bought my Kitchen Aid mixer. Love, love, love it... Now that I have a little arthritis in my fingers, having a mixer with a dough hook makes such a difference.

If you, however, have strong healthy fingers, knead the dough by hand. It’s like washing dishes by hand. Time consuming, yes, but you can put on some music--as fast or as slow as you like--and empty your mind of all those nagging problems. Just enjoy the moment and the repetitive motions.

I’ve made a discovery about taking food photos indoors (at least indoors at my place). I have to use the flash. I’ll leave it to you to guess which photos were taken with a flash. Hint ~ the color is so much more authentic, not so creamy or yellowy. To truly appreciate the detail of photos on this and other blogs, you can click on each photo to see an enlarged version.

The bread dough recipe makes two loaves, and it will make a huge pan of Veggie Cheese Roll-ups. I used two smaller (approx. 9x11) pans since I have a small stove/oven; fifteen roll-ups to a pan. So, figure on about 30 rolls, each cut about an inch thick before baking.



Bread Dough
(enough for approximately 30 Veggie Cheese Roll-ups or 2 loaves of bread)

Ingredients...

3 cups lukewarm water
2 tablespoons active dry yeast (2 envelopes)
2 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour (or whole wheat bread flour)
4 cups all-purpose white flour (or a mix of white and whole wheat)

Directions...

1. Stir together water, yeast, salt, EVOO and 1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour.
2. Cover and let rest on counter at least 20 minutes.
3. Stir in more flour. The 4 cups is an approximation.
4. Knead by hand or machine until smooth.
5. Place dough ball in large greased bowl. Roll around till entire ball has been greased.



6. Cover and let rise in warm place 30-45 minutes.
7. Punch down and let rest 5-6 minutes on a floured surface. (continues below with 8.)


Filling

Ingredients...

2 tablespoons EVOO
3/4 - 1 cup diced onion
10 oz. matchstix carrots
1-pound broccoli crowns, chopped
Garlic powder
Salt & Pepper
1-pound sharp cheddar cheese,shredded

Directions...

1. Combine all filling ingredients except cheese in large pan and cook over medium heat until cooked to desired tenderness.
2. Start off with small amounts of garlic powder (1/2-1 teaspoon) and S&P, then taste when nearing end of cooking. Add more garlic powder, S&P, according to your taste buds.
3. Remove from burner when done and pour into large pan to cool.



Making the Veggie Cheese Roll-ups

8. Starting from Step 7 above, flatten dough ball on floured surface.
9. Roll out in rectangle that is more long than wide.
10. Spread cooled filling on dough, stopping about 1-inch away from the two longer sides. Scatter the shredded/grated cheese the same way.
11. Roll up the dough and filling so that you end up with a very long roll. Gently stretch and pat to create a roll that is uniformly sized in all parts.
12. Cut into 1-inch sections and place side-by-side in greased pan(s).
13. Bake 35-45 minutes in pre-heated 350-degree Fahrenheit oven. Roll-ups should look well done.



About the onions ~

Use your favorite onion, about 3/4-1 cup. Since I left the dough rising on the counter while I walked to the store for the veggies, I took the easy way out and bought a package of diced onions in the produce section.

About the broccoli ~

Three-quarters of a pound of fresh broccoli crowns did it for me this time. I cut away the thickest part of the stems and chopped up the rest. An alternative is to use thawed 10 oz. packages of frozen broccoli.

About the carrots ~

A 10-ounce bag of shredded carrots did the trick this time. I usually shred them myself, but as I said, I was in a time crunch.

About the cheddar cheese ~

I used one pound of sharp cheddar cheese. I say, the sharper the better and I prefer to shred it myself.



Veggie Cheese Roll-ups freeze well and can be re-heated in a toaster oven. Microwave a cold roll-up for thirty seconds in a microwave.


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