Tuscan White Bean and Garlic Soup

Every once in awhile I get a massive craving for beans. Kinda strange, huh? I mean who craves beans? Maybe it is the result of being a vegetarian for several years, who knows. I think I ate about every kind of bean this week. I made a creamy rice dish with red chili beans and kidney beans, this Tuscan White Bean and Garlic Soup, black bean burgers, and then had garbanzo beans in my couscous. Suffice it to say, I have certainly satisfied my craving for beans this week!

This Tuscan White Bean and Garlic Soup is really creamy and flavorful and costs next to nothing to make, which is a plus. The recipe and the picture caught my eye while reading through a copy of Giada's Kitchen and I was very happy to find that I had all the ingredients to make this soup. I am a big sucker for recipes made with pantry/staple ingredients.

Tuscan White Bean and Garlic Soup
*Adapted from Giada's Kitchen*
Makes 4-6 servings
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
2 sage leaves, stems removed
2 (15-oz) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
4 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 slices ciabatta bread
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Place a medium, heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the butter, olive oil, and shallots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are softened, about 3 minutes. Add the sage leaves, cannelini beans, and garlic and stir to combine. Add the chicken broth to the pan, until the garlic is softened, about 15 minutes. Pour half the soup into a large bowl. Carefully ladle a third to half of the soup from the bowl into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth (be careful to hold the top of the blender tightly, as hot liquids expand when they are blended). Pour the blended remaining soup from the bowl. Once all the soup is returned to the soup pot, stir in the cream, salt and pepper. Cover and keep warm over very low heat.

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle the slices of ciabatta bread with the EVOO. Grill the bread until it is warm and golden grill marks appear, about 3 minutes per side. Serve the soup in bowls with the grilled bread alongside.

Notes/Results: I blended about half of the soup and left the other half chunky. I also added some red pepper flakes and a little more sage. This soup doesn't have a lot of body to it, but it is flavorful, delicious and filling nonetheless. I enjoyed it with some baguette, which I didn't even bother to grill. It is a simple, easy and delicious soup that can be made from pantry ingredients. I made this for dinner one night and was eager to have it again for lunch the next day. If you are concerned with calories, I think the cream could probably be omitted, or at the very least reduced. This is a keeper recipe based on the fact that it is easy, delicious and pretty healthy!

I am sending this recipe over to my friend Deb at Kahakai Kitchen for Souper Sundays! Each Sunday, Deb has a roundup of soups, salads and sammies. Head on over there this Sunday to check out all the delicious goodies!

Saffron Chicken Kabobs, Couscous with Pistachios, Chickpeas, and Corn, and Green Salad with Herbs and Radishes

If you have not had Middle Eastern food, then you are missing out. This was one seriously delicious meal. I'm talking seriously delicious! It is so seriously delicious that you will not be able to focus on anything else while eating it. In fact, I was able to tune out my eight-year old daughter (for those of you who know young girls, you understand). You see, the child is never quiet. NEVER! She is either talking, humming, singing, blathering, arguing, you name it. I never heard a word she said throughout dinner. I was too busy marveling at all the fresh flavors, the textures, and the overall appeal of this dish. It was one of those meals where you are full, but you keep on eating anyway.

I have my friend Joanne, of Eats Well With Others, to thank for this meal. Joanne is now hosting Regional Recipes which is a monthly roundup of regional cuisines from around the world. This month, we are celebrating the cuisine of the Middle East. Believe me when I tell you that this is one delicious cuisine that uses fresh flavors and is very healthy, for the most part.

I borrowed a wonderful cookbook from the library called Feast From the Mideast by Faye Levy. I highly recommend it. I flipped through this cookbook for 5 minutes and was hooked. There are no pictures, not even black and white, but there are 350 delicious recipes. I actually preferred this cookbook to Claudia Roden's books. (Sorry, Claudia)

I have been wanting to cook with saffron for a really long time so I decided on the Saffron Chicken Kabobs. To go along with the kabobs, I chose the couscous and green salad with radishes (I love radishes).
Saffron Chicken Kabobs (Chich Tawouk)
*Adapted from Feast From the Mideast by Faye Levy*
Pinch saffron (1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon) crushed
2 or 3 onions
3 tablespoons strained lemon or lime juice
1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut in 1-1/4 inch pieces
salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 large cherry or small plum tomatoes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or melted butter
Basil sprigs, chives and other fresh herbs
fresh pita bread
Put saffron in small cup and pour 2 tablespoons hot water over it. Let stand for 5 minutes. Reserve 1 tablespoon liquid saffron for basting chicken. Pour remaining saffron into bowl large enough to contain chicken. Finely grate 1/2 onion and add to bowl. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice and mix well. Add chicken pieces to bowl and mix well. Cover and marinate for 2-6 hours in refrigerator.
Cut peppers in 1-1/4-inch squares. Quarter remaining onions. Remove chicken from marinade, brushing off bits of onion and discarding marinade. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Thread chicken on skewers, alternating with pepper pieces, onions and tomatoes.
Heat barbecue, stove-top grill, or broiler and lightly oil rack. Combine remaining liquid saffron with oil and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Brush this basting liquid over chicken. Put kabobs on barbecue. Grill or broil about 10 minutes, until chicken is just cooked through but is still succulent, turning kabobs often and brushing them occasionally with basting liquid. To check, cut into a chunk- chicken should not be pink inside. Serve hot with herbs and fresh pita.

Couscous with Pistachios, Chickpeas, and Corn (Salat couscous im fistookim v'hummus)
*Adapted from Feast From the Mideast by Faye Levy*
3-4 tablespoons EVOO
1 onion, minced
1/2 large zucchini, diced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 cups water
1/2 carrot, finely diced
1 cup couscous
2-4 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 small garlic cloves, minched
pinch cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried mint
1 cup cooked or canned corn kernels, drained
1 - 15 oz- can chickpeas, drained
1/3 cup salted pistachios, toasted

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in medium saucepan. Add onion and saute over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add zucchini, salt, and pepper and saute for 1 minute. cover and cook for 1 more minute. Remove vegetables to bowl. Add water, carrot, and a pinch of salt to saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 2 minutes. Add couscous and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 7 minutes.
Lightly spoon couscous mixture into large bowl and fluff with a fork. Add remaining oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper, cayenne, and mint, and mix lightly. Add corn, chickpeas, and sauteed zucchini mixture and toss lightly. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve salad warm, cold, or at room temperature, sprinkled with pistachios.

Green Salad with Herbs and Radishes (Marul salatsi)
*Adapted from Feast From the Mideast by Faye Levy*
5-6 cups bite-size pieces romaine lettuce, or one 10 oz. package
3/4 to 1 cup coarsely chopped arugula or watercress (optional)
6 small red radishes, sliced
2 green onions, sliced thin
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or mint
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lmeon juice or white/red wine vinegar
2-3 tablespoons EVOO
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup good-quality black olives, such as kalamata (optional)
Toss lettuce with arugula, radishes, green onions, parsley and dill in bowl. Whisk lemon juice with oil, salt, and pepper in small bowl. Pour over salad and toss lightly. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve garnished with olives.

Notes/Results: I love this meal! Surprisingly, I think the radish salad might have been my favorite component of the meal. It was bright, fresh, lemony and had a bite to it. Of course, I could just be biased because I love radishes. The saffron chicken kabobs were tender and juicy and had a very mild flavor. I didn't really know what to expect of the saffron. For some reason, I expected it to have a very strong flavor, but it was somewhat mild and pleasant. The couscous salad was addictive. When you bite into it the corn and chickpeas burst in your mouth and the overall texture of the couscous is wonderful. You have the tenderness of the couscous, the crunch of the pistachios, and the sweet burst of the corn. Let's just say that this cook had her fair share directly out of the bowl. It's all about quality control, right?

Click HERE for information about Regional Recipes.

Hmmmm.....if only I had made the Queen of Sheba Chocolate Cake:D

North American Salad

Wild rice is a group of grasses that grow in shallow water in small lakes and slow-flowing streams; and often, only the flowering head of wild rice rises above the water. Wild rice is native to North America and is harvested as a grain. Wild rice has less calories, fat, carbohydrates and higher protein levels than brown rice. Sounds good to me!

While flipping through pages of Nigella Lawson's Feast, I couldn't help but take notice of her recipe for North American Salad. This recipe immediately stood out to me based solely on the beauty of the dish. A background of gorgeous black wild rice, with jewel-toned cranberries, flecks of vibrant green parsley, and chunks of golden pecans running throughout. This was the perfect recipe in celebration of great grains at I Heart Cooking Clubs.

Nigella says "Since this salad was made up by me in my kitchen in London, there is an argument that says it isn't remotely American, North or otherwise. But it seemed to me that a salad comprising turkey, wild rice, cranberries and pecans couldn't really go under any other name".

North American Salad
Adapted from Feast by Nigella Lawson
Serves 6-8, recipe can be halved

3 cups wild rice
1/2 cup dried sliced cranberries
4 cups diced cold turkey (I omitted the turkey this time around)
2 tablespoons cranberry sauce or jelly
2 tablespoons lime juice (I used lemon)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup halved pecans or pecan pieces (I recommend toasting the pecans)
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Cook the rice according to the package instructions, rinse and leave to cool. Add the dried cranberries and turkey to the cold, cooked rice. Make a dressing with the cranberry jelly, lime juice and oil by whisking everything together in a bowl. Toss the dressing through the rice, cranberries and turkey. Snap the pecans in half (or if using pieces leave as they are) and add to the salad with most of the parsley, turn out on to a plate or serving dish and sprinkle with the remaining parsley.

NOTE: Reserve the pecans until ready to serve so that they remain crunchy.

Notes/Results: This was a very fun salad to make and it was also my first time cooking wild rice. This is an easy recipe, but takes some time to cook since the wild rice takes about 60 minutes on it's own. I thought this was a truly stunning salad that would be delicious with the diced turkey or on it's own. I also loved the flavors and textures in this recipe. The wild rice has quite a bite to it and goes well with the sweetness of the dried cranberries. Toasting and salting the pecans turned out to be a great and crunchy addition to this salad. I really loved this salad and enjoyed it even more knowing that it was good for me at the same time!

Head on over to I Heart Cooking Clubs to see what everyone is cooking up in celebration of Great Grains!

Cheese of the Month: Camembert

This year I made a new year's resolution to try a new cheese every month. So many cheeses, so little time. I know you understand.

I decided to do a Cheese of the Month feature, highlighting each of the cheeses and recipes I try along the way. Last month, I featured a Red Dragon Mustard Seed and Ale cheese, which I served with a pretzel baguette from Whole Foods.

This month, I am featuring ILE DE FRANCE Camembert. I have had Camembert once or twice before, but each time it has been served alone with bread. I've been wanting to try Camembert in a recipe to test out it's creamy melting abilities.

While watching a recent episode of Alex Guarnaschelli's new show, Alex's Day Off, I saw her make Cheese Fondue Hash Browns. Alex fried chunks of potato until golden brown, topped them with a wheel of Camembert, and baked them in the oven until the cheese melted and oozed over the potatoes. Those cheesy fondue hash browns looked irresistible and I instantly marked them down on my "things to make" list. How could I not try them? Fried potatoes with a wheel of Camembert melted on top- a stroke of genius!

You can find Alex's recipe for Cheese Fondue Hash Browns by clicking HERE. It requires very few ingredients and is quite simple to make.

Notes/Results: Brie and camembert are known as the crown jewels of French cheese. They are both a semi-soft cheese and can be used interchangeably in recipes. I love both of these cheeses for their soft, smooth, thick and creamy consistency. Alex's recipe for cheesy fondue hash browns is quite a decadent treat and really is very tasty. Crunchy potatoes and oozing cheese is the all-time comfort food and everyone enjoyed this recipe. I think this is a great recipe and would make for an impressive breakfast/brunch menu, but I will say that my favorite way to enjoy this cheese is simply all on it's own, served over bread.
How do you like to serve Camembert?

Computer Crash

My computer crashed last night. Thankfully we were able to recover most of our family pictures. However, I did lose most of the pictures for my upcoming posts. My computer is back up and running, but it seems to be on it's last leg. I think it's probably time to shop for a new one.

I lost all my bookmarks and a lot of other information. It might take me a few days, but I should be back up and running soon.

It seems like my computer and me are having a love/hate relationship lately.

See ya soon!

Before the Microwave: Mashed Potato Edition

Cooking was a little bit different before the microwave, especially when it came to leftovers. A week or so ago, I posted about how my Mom used to serve leftover pasta. This time around, I am posting about what my Mom used to do with leftover mashed potatoes. After all, before the microwave there really wasn't a great way to reheat leftover mashed potatoes.

If you are lucky enough to have leftover mashed potatoes, you should consider making these Potato Cakes. They are not healthy, whatsoever, but they are delicious.

Potato Cakes - adapted from my Mom
*Recipe can be doubled*
Nonstick skillet
1 cup of mashed potatoes (can also use sweet potatoes)
1 egg or egg white
1/4 cup a/p flour, plus a little extra to coat your hands and form the cakes
3 tablespoons butter, or oil, whichever you prefer
Put one cup of leftover mashed potatoes in a medium-sized bowl. (One cup of mashed potatoes will make about 2 large or 4 small potato cakes). Add in one egg or one egg white and about 1/4 cup of flour. Stir together. Form the mashed potato mixture into 2 large patties or 4 small patties. If the mixture is a little sticky, coat your hands with flour and pat mixture into cakes.
Melt about 3 tablespoons of butter over medium-heat in a nonstick skillet. I'm sure you could use any skillet, but nonstick seems to work best for this recipe.
Put the potato cakes into the skillet and fry over medium-heat. You want to fry them slowly so that the potatoes have a chance to warm through. When the edges of the potato cakes start to brown, it is probably time to flip.
Look at those delicious and buttery fried potato cakes - yum!! Fry on the opposite side until you achieve the desired color and crispness.
My Mom liked to serve these for breakfast with eggs and bacon. To this day, that is one of my favorite breakfasts. Of course, back then I could eat these fried mashed potatoes and not think twice about it:D These are also delicious served with pork chops or steak.

You can top these beauties with all kinds of fun things:
Sour cream
Salsa
Caramelized Onion
Fried Egg
Hot Sauce
Melted cheese

There are also all kind of things that you can add to the Potato Cakes to give them more flavor and/or to use up other leftovers on hand:
Cheese
Mustard
Green Onion
Ham
Any green vegetables
Diced up hard-boiled egg
Salsa

I've also toyed with the idea of forming the cakes, dipping them in egg, and then coating them with panko and frying. I think that would be delicious too!

I am also submitting this recipe to Reeni's Side Dish Showdown, click here for details. Reeni of Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice is hosting a monthly event to celebrate side dishes. I think that these Potato Cakes are one side dish that everyone, including kids, would love to eat!

Have you had Mashed Potato Cakes before?

What do you like to do with your leftover mashed potatoes?

King Cake from "My New Orleans"

Months ago, I received a copy of John Besh's new cookbook, My New Orleans, from a giveaway hosted by Deb of Kahakai Kitchen. My New Orleans is an amazing cookbook, full of stories, great photos and pure love for the city of New Orleans. There is an entire chapter devoted to Mardi Gras, with many wonderful recipes. I have always wanted to try a King Cake, so I chose this recipe to celebrate Fat Tuesday coming up this week.

The dough is enriched with butter and eggs and is wonderfully fragrant with cinnamon and nutmeg. Besh braids his cake, dividing the dough into three equal parts, and rolling into three equal ropes.
The ropes are braided and the ends pinched to seal the seams. The cake is baked for 30 minutes in a 375F oven

Once the cake has cooled for 30 minutes, it is time to decorate the cake. I took this opportunity to put the plastic baby in before decorating. Can you see his little head peeking out?
The icing is a delicious combination of powdered sugar, fresh lemon juice, and condensed milk.
While the icing is still wet, you top the cake with purple, gold and green decorative sugars. I couldn't find any decorative sugars, so I made my own using food coloring and normal granulated sugar.King Cake
adapted from "My New Orleans" by John Besh
Serves 10-12
For the Cake:
1 cup lukewarm milk, about 110F
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons dry yeast
3-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup melted butter
5 egg yolks, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated fresh lemon zest
3 teaspoons cinnamon
Several gratings of fresh nutmeg
For the Icing:
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup condensed milk
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Purple, green, and gold decorative sugars
1 feve (fava bean) or plastic baby to hide in the cake after baking

For the cake, pour the warm milk into a large bowl. Whisk in the granulated sugar, yeast, and a heaping tablespoon of the flour, mixing until both the sugar and the yeast have dissolved.

Once bubbles have developed on the surface of the milk and it begins to foam, whisk in the butter, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add the remaining flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg and fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a large rubber spatula.

After the dough comes together, pulling away from the sides of the bowl, shape it into a large ball. Knead the dough on a floured surface until it is smooth and elastic, about 15 minutes.

Put the dough back into the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside in a draft-free place to let it proof, or rise for 1-1/2 hours or until the dough has doubled in volume.

Preheat the oven to 375F. Once the dough has risen, punch it down and divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough between your palms into a long strip, making 3 ropes of equal length. Braid the 3 ropes around one another and then form the braided loaf into a circle, pinching ends together to seal. Gently lay the braided dough on a nonstick cookie sheet and let it rise until it doubles in size, about 30 minutes.

Once it's doubled in size, place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake until the braid is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven, place on a wire rack, and allow to cool for 3o minutes.

For the icing, while the cake is cooling, whisk together the powdered sugar, condensed milk, and lemon juice in a bowl until the icing is smooth and very spreadable. If the icing is too thick, add a bit more condensed milk; if it's a touch too loose, add a little more powdered sugar.

Once the cake has cooled, spread the icing over the top of the cake and sprinkle with purple, green, and gold decorative sugars while the icing is still wet. Tuck the feve or plastic baby into the underside of the cake and, using a spatula, slide the cake onto a platter.

Whoever gets the piece of cake with the baby, or feve, is said to have good luck. However, they are also responsible for buying the King Cake next year. The kids go crazy for the baby!


Notes/Results: I have never made or tasted a King Cake before, but as soon as I smelled the dough I knew that I was going to love it. The dough smells of cinnamon rolls (yum) and is smooth, easy to work with, and wonderfully fragrant with cinnamon and nutmeg flecked throughout. The only change I made was to use about double the amount of condensed milk to achieve the right consistency. The icing itself is delicious and I had a very hard time keeping my daughter's hands out of the bowl. This is a very fun cake to make, with the decorative sugars and the whole idea of hiding the baby and all. My daughter was so excited to get the piece of cake with the baby. Definitely a kid-friendly recipe to make. I can see myself making this recipe again next year.