Thursday, November 24, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
Everyone knows at least one reluctant vegetable eater. Maybe you are one... (ahem, Buddy). Perhaps I'm being too idealistic, but I can’t accept that anyone actually hates vegetables—you just have to find the right recipe. This particular veggie recipe is another one that’s almost too easy to blog about, but again is too special not to write about.
It's the perfect comfort food; it has a warm, velvety richness, but there's nothing complicated about this dish. When the sky goes grey and the wind picks up, this is what I crave. Forget chicken noodle soup--when I get sick, I want comfort from something more substantial, and these carrots fit the bill exactly. As a matter of fact, when my sister's wisdom teeth were removed, these carrots--in mashed form--were all she ate for a week.
Now, fast forward a few years, to when Buddy and I started dating. When I first discovered Buddy's aversion to fruits and vegetables, I was aghast! Almost three years later, it's an ongoing mission to convert him into a veggie lover, except now it's also become a running joke. I still get teased when I have an orange for dessert, or you know, say that pizza isn't a vegetable, and Buddy still sends me emails like this:
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| Link here to article on listeria-plagued cantaloupes |
Even so, I like to think that I've made some progress on my vegetable crusade--thanks to this recipe. Buddy may not remember, but these carrots are the first vegetables I've cooked for him, which he grudgingly liked, and even had seconds of. No one can resist anything covered with melted butter and brown sugar, and I can certify that this dish is the gateway drug of veggies. More than that though, these Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots are perfect for a cold day like today, perfect for snuggling on the couch with a bowl full of carrots and sharing them with someone you love--even if they claim to hate veggies.
Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
Adapted from my mom
Total Recipe Cost: $0.79 for 4 servings!
I use a lot more butter here than my mom does, but I’m young, and don’t have cholesterol problems—yet. If you’re not a butter fiend, I’d definitely start with ½ T butter, and add in small increments until you reach your desired buttery-ness.
4 large carrots
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
salt (almost 1/2 teaspoon)
parsley (optional)
Set water in a large pot to boil. Meanwhile, peel and chop carrots into approximately ½” thick pieces. Drop the carrots into boiling water, and cook 3-5 minutes, or until the carrots reach your preferred tenderness. Drain the carrots, and return them to the pot (heat off, or very low to help the butter melt). Add the butter and brown sugar, and stir until the carrots are evenly coated. Salt to taste, though you’ll need more than you expect. Top with parsley to garnish. Serve this to the vegetable-haters in your life, and dare them not to love it!
Ingredients | Unit Cost | Total Cost |
4 large carrots | $0.33/lb | $0.66 |
1 T unsalted butter | $0.11/T | $0.11 |
1 T brown sugar | $0.28/C | $0.02 |
salt | negligible | |
pepper | negligible | |
parsley | negligible | |
TOTAL | $0.79 |
Questions about Total Recipe Cost? Click here!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
There's a decidedly crisp chill in the morning, scarves are coming out of the closet, and I have a definite craving for some hot apple cider. It's official; summer's over, even here in San Diego. Of course, seeing as today's high was 74F, everyone's still in sandals, and I recently went to a pool party, I'm not quite ready to start blogging exclusively about braised meats, hearty stews, and all things root vegetable.
This broccoli panzanella is a good compromise of the seasons; it's a refreshing, summery slaw, but the star of the dish is broccoli, a cool season crop. As soon as I saw the recipe, I needed to try that tangy buttermilk dressing. Mostly though, I had to make it because I'm a sucker for slaws. I'm not fooling anyone by calling this a panzanella. Sure, bread is added here for a reason--it contributes the perfect amount of saltiness and texture--but the foundation for this recipe is unabashedly a slaw. To be honest, I'm obsessed with slaws and perhaps you can tell, given that they're featured in >20% of my posts now.
I love almost all slaws, but this dish in particular is special. With its light but creamy dressing, it's decadent yet still healthful. There's a sweetness from the cranberries, but also some heat from the red onions. It's a veritable playground of textures, from the crispy croutons to the crunchy broccoli, and every cranberry is a sweet surprise. I can't stop at just one serving, but hey--it's broccoli, so eat up!
Broccoli Panzanella
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Total Recipe Cost: $5.54 for 8 servings!
A panzanella is traditionally an Italian salad of bread and tomatoes with an oil and vinegar dressing. I took some liberties with naming this dish--panzanella is such a fun word, I had to use it! However, I do want to highlight the bread component in this recipe. In short, I'm a big advocate of homemade croutons; they're so easy, so cheap, and sooo perfect for snacking. :)
Croutons:
1/2 loaf of crusty french bread
2 tablespoons olive oil
oregano
salt
pepper
Dressing:
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup of walnuts
2 heads of broccoli
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup of dried cranberries
Preheat oven to 400F. Cut bread into small chunks and arrange on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and generously season with oregano, salt, and pepper to taste. I like my croutons crispy on the outside, and slightly chewy on the inside, so I toast them for 10 minutes--increase the time to 15-20 minutes if you like them crisp throughout. Set the croutons* aside to cool.
To toast the walnuts, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet and (if you are lazy like me) put them under the broiler for 2 minutes, or bake for 10 minutes at 350F. Let these cool before chopping into smaller pieces.
Meanwhile, chop the broccoli into small pieces, then add the chopped red onion, dried cranberries, and toasted walnuts. Whisk** the dressing ingredients together and then toss with the broccoli mix. This may be too much dressing, depending on the size of your broccolis, so just add the dressing to taste. Store in the refrigerator until you're ready to eat, then combine with croutons immediately before eating!
Ingredients | Unit Cost | Total Cost |
½ loaf of French bread | $1.49/loaf | $0.75 |
2 T olive oil | $0.32/oz | $0.32 |
oregano | negligible | |
salt | negligible | |
pepper | negligible | |
½ C buttermilk | $0.55/C | $0.28 |
1/3 C mayonnaise | $0.08/oz | $0.21 |
2 T cider vinegar | $0.11/oz | $0.11 |
1 T sugar | $0.26/C | $0.02 |
1 C walnuts | $4.50/lb | $1.12 |
2 heads broccoli | $0.88/lb | $1.32 |
½ small red onion | $1.49/lb | $0.75 |
½ C dried cranberries | $0.33/oz | $0.66 |
TOTAL | $5.54 |
*Croutons are shockingly easy to make!!! No one should ever have to buy store-made! Also, the magic of croutons is that you never have to worry about buying too much bread, because once it goes stale--perfect for making croutons! Problem fixed with a delicious solution. Just store them away in a sealed container... I'm a little embarrassed to say how long I've kept them for (ahem, >1 week).
**A lot of times I just end up mixing vigorously with chopsticks...usually when I'm cooking alone and know that I'd have to wash the whisk myself. But really, any method works, just get the dressing smooth!
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