Light and bright pesto & roasted carrots.

Last night was Tuesday night, and instead of a "cupboard's bare" situation, we had a number of box items still on our hands.  We ate out a couple of times last week, and also ate a couple meals that didn't rely heavily on box items.  So last night, I wanted to use up what I could in a tasty dinner.  After watering our roses and some other flowers (watering is a ... continuous ritual!), I hopped in the kitchen and got cooking.  I combined elements from two different recipes to create ... Pesto Gnocchi with Roasted Carrots & Onions!

 I wanted to lighten up the pesto a bit, especially since I think that you can still get the classic flavor without all of the classic fat.  I turned to Cooking Light and found a good base recipe, to which I added some extra liquid to make a thinner pasta (normally folks will use pasta cooking water, but I thinned mine with some veggie broth) plus some of the fresh oregano from our box.  Also, I skipped the butter.  (Wow!  Look at me!  I'm usually dumping extra butter into things, but I'm learning the finer points of restraint.  Once you decide butter is not inherently evil, it's easy to get a bit carried away...  I'm working on it.)

I also love roasted carrots, so I thought they would be a great addition to pesto gnocchi.  I used a recipe that originally came from a CSA newsletter.  The original recipe called for cippolini onions, but I used the regular white onions that came in my box this week. 

This meal used up a number of box items that were lurking in the fridge: fresh basil and oregano, carrots, and white onions.  Now if only I could find a way to tackle the beets ...

Here's a recipe that reflects what we ate last night - you could easily swap out different veggies or use pasta instead of gnocchi.  Or just use the pesto recipe in your favorite pasta or potato salad, or to coat some tasty tortellini or ravioli. 

Pesto Gnocchi with Roasted Carrots & Onions
Pesto adapted from Cooking Light; Carrots and onions adapted from CSA newsletter

For the pesto:
3 cups fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup fresh oregano (optional)
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (you can use a bit less if you prefer)
1/4 cup veggie broth

Other ingredients:
1 pound carrots, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 large white onions, chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup white wine (use something you like to drink - it's a good excuse to have a glass!)
1/4 cup veggie broth
salt and pepper
1 package of gnocchi (4 servings) or pasta of your choice
1/2 cooked chickpeas, rinsed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine carrots, onion, 2 tablespoons olive oil, wine, and broth.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Place on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray (a little extra liquid is okay).  Roast for about 35 minutes, stirring once or twice, until veggies are tender and beginning to brown. 

While the veggies are roasting, make the pesto.  Combine the basil, oregano, pine nuts, olive oil, salt, and garlic in a food processor; process until a puree forms, pausing once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.  Add the parmesan and process.  Add the veggie broth and process until a smooth puree forms. 

Cook your gnocchi or pasta according to package directions.  When it is cooked, drain and return to the pot.  Add about 1/2 the pesto, most of the veggies, and the chickpeas; stir until everything is coated with pesto.  Add more pesto if you like (I used about 2/3 of the pesto recipe above), or a splash of veggie broth if you like things a bit saucier.  Serve in bowls, garnished with some of the reserved roasted veggies.

Beat the heat: spelt salad.

There is no better time than the hot summer months to indulge in the chewy flavor party of a grain salad.  When it's hot out, I love a good grain and veggie concoction, dressed in a tangy vinaigrette and finished off with a dash of nuts and a sprinkle of cheese.  My favorite grain salad is sold in the deli case at the Sacramento Food Co-op.  It is a spelt (sometimes kamut) salad with vinaigrette, assorted veggies, cranberries, and feta.  Over Memorial Day, I accidentally spent $10 on a "medium" size container of the stuff - it fed me for four days!  Grain salads are hearty and substantial without being heavy.  They are a great way to use up produce or to try out a new ingredient or two without depending on it to carry the entire dish.  For example, when I made wheatberry salad (the recipe inspiration for today's post), I added a couple handfuls of French breakfast radishes, which were new to me.  They ended up being a fantastic, crunchy addition.

I had a bag of spelt hanging out in my pantry for weeks, a purchase inspired by one of my Food Co-op spelt salad dates.  This weekend I finally decided to take the plunge.  I have never cooked spelt before.  It is an ancient form of wheat, related to farro (though not identical, as some sources claim).  If you have had wheat berries before, then you have experienced the chewy, toothsome texture that also characterizes the spelt experience.  As far as cooking goes, you need to do some advanced preparation in order to enjoy it.  Spelt benefits from a lengthy soak, much like you would soak dried beans, and also requires at least an hour simmer (I cooked mine for at least 90 minutes, after a multi-hour soak).

I started with Ina Garten's Wheatberry Salad recipe, tweaked a bit for spelt.  Plus, I couldn't help but throw in a couple of ingredients that were hanging out in my pantry and refrigerator.

Check another new grain off the list!  This was a very satisfying accomplishment.  I'm already looking forward to my next spelt-based meal, and I'm secretly a little bit sad that the leftovers have all been voraciously consumed.

P.S. In the spirit of beating the heat, I went for a run on Sunday morning and ultimately decided that I need a new game plan.  I left the house around 8:30 for a quick three miles, and boy was it not ideal.  The temperature was lovely - just shy of 70 degrees - but the sun was killer.  It's the time of year where the sun just feels intense.  Running through the shady patches was pleasant, but most of my time was spent in the sun - and it was tough.  That, plus whatever pollen is floating around in our air, made for a bit of a challenge.  It was a "mind over body; strong mind, strong body" mantra kind of run.  So my new plan is to get up early, before the sun is direct and intense, to get my runs in.  And guess what?  I did it today!  I was up at 5:30 am and out the door by 5:45 for three miles before work.  The weather was insanely perfect, and the world was bright and calm at that lonely hour.  If I am going to work on my training over the summer, it's going to have to be at that ungodly hour.  Priorities!  Chalk this one up as another first: my very first totally voluntary pre-work workout.  Woohoo!

Spelt Salad

Adapted from Ina Garten via Food Network



1 cup spelt, rinsed
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups filtered water

1 red onion, finely chopped

4 or 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 red bell pepper, small diced
2 carrots, chopped

1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup parsley, minced
1/4 cup dried cranberries and/or cherries, chopped
3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled



Cook the spelt: Heat the water and salt in a medium pot over high heat until boiling; add the spelt and return to a boil.  Reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook the spelt for about 1 hour and 15 minutes.  (You can cover partially in order to keep an even simmer.)  Simmer until the the spelt is plump and tender but still al dente. You may need to cook it for up to two hours (mine took about 90 minutes).  Drain. [Time this so that you drain your berries once your dressing is just finished, as described below.]



Make the dressing: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat in a medium pan. Add the onion and salt and pepper to taste; saute until onion has softened and is beginning to brown, about 8 minutes.  Turn off the heat and stir in 2 to 3 additional tablespoons of olive oil and the balsamic vinegar.



Bring the components together: Place the spelt, still warm, in a large bowl. Add the onion mixture and mix together. Add the red bell pepper, carrots, chickpeas, parsley, cranberries, and feta, stirring to incorporate. Add S&P to taste. Let the salad sit for at least 30 minutes for the vinaigrette to infuse the spelt.  Serve at room temperature.

A North African feast.

On Sunday, we enjoyed two new dishes with North African flare.  Just because.  The meal was inspired by an intriguing carrot and feta salad from Smitten Kitchen, using an ingredient that I have been itching to try: harissa.  The main dish was a chickpea and chard stew with Moroccan flavors.  Both were tasty and complemented one another perfectly.

 I especially recommend trying the carrot salad; it was such a unique combination of flavors - piquant, sweet, tart, salty.  I had to go on a mini hunt for harissa, which is a spicy chile paste condiment hailing from Tunisia.   On a tip from the original recipe post, I checked Whole Foods first.  No luck.  There was one sad little jar of "Harissa-Sun Dried Tomato Spread" - that seemed a little frou-frou for my salad, and I wasn't willing to shell out almost $7 for some high-falutin' chile paste.  Ultimately, I found success at Corti Brothers (I love you, CB - you always come through in my time of need!), settling on a $3 tube imported from France, packaged in a bright yellow box etched with Arabic characters.  It reminded me that Tunisia and France share an intertwined history and culture; Tunisia, along the Mediterranean Sea in North Africa, was a French protectorate from 1818 through 1956, when it gained independence.  In my search for harissa, I also found that a number of recipes and prepared products included a surprise ingredient: caraway.  The carrot salad echoes that flavor by including ground caraway seeds in a spice vinaigrette.  The spices and garlic are quickly sauteed in olive oil to release their fragrant flavors.  Paired with mint and feta, this salad is truly unique.

 

The chickpea and chard recipe came from my new Deborah Madison cookbook, "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone."  It was a gift from my wonderful dogs for Mother's Day (thank you for facilitating, husband!).  This was my first time cooking from the new book, and it was a pleasant experience.

 While not totally unique, the recipe is clear and reliable.  I've had similar versions of this stew with Spanish flavors.  It is filling and tasty, and especially delicious the next day for lunch.  I made some simple modifications from the recipe, such as using tomato puree in place of fresh tomatoes (it's not quite tomato season, and I also have an aversion to chopped tomatoes in stews - I know, weird).

Enjoy this North African-inspired feast!

 
Carrot & Feta Salad with Harissa-Spice Vinaigrette
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Note: Make sure you taste your harissa before you add to get a feel for how spicy it is and adjust the amount you add based on that.

1 lb carrots, scrubbed, peeled, and coarsely shredded
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon whole caraway seeds, ground (I used my coffee grinder)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon harissa, or more to taste (I used about 3/4 tsp harissa paste from France)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons mint, chopped
1/2 cup feta, crumbled

Heat the oil over medium heat in a small pan.  Add the garlic, spices, harissa, and sugar and cook for about 1 minute, until fragrant.  Turn down the heat if it simmers too aggressively; stir almost constantly.  Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and salt to taste.  Add vinaigrette to the carrots and toss well.  Mix in the parsley and mint.  Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to marinate for one hour.  Add the feta immediately prior to serving.



Chickpea and Chard Stew with Moroccan Flavors
Adapted from Deborah Madison, "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone"

1 large bunch of chard, washed, center stem removed, sliced into 1-inch ribbons
2 15-oz cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
6 garlic cloves, trimmed and peeled
salt
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon smoked paprika (alternatively, 2 teaspoons of either paprika)
freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, separated
4 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
1 white onion, chopped (I used one spring onion from my box)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
dash of red pepper flakes
1 cup veggie broth
1 15 oz. can crushed tomatoes or tomato puree (I used half a 28-oz. can)

Steam the chard, using a steamer basket in a large pot over about one inch of water, partially covered, for about 3 minutes.  Use tongs to move the chard around so it cooks evenly.  Remove from the heat and set aside.

Mince the garlic with a generous pinch or two of salt, smashing with your knife to form a somewhat chunky paste.  In a small bowl, mix the garlic-salt paste with the dried spices (paprika through turmeric), 2 tablespoons cilantro, the parsley, and 1 teaspoon olive oil.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onion, bell pepper, thyme, and red pepper flakes, and cook for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the garlic-spice mixture, then add the chickpeas and 1/2 cup of the veggie broth.  Simmer for 4 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, cooked chard, the remaining 1/2 cup veggie broth, and salt to taste.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.  Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro and serve over rice or couscous.