Roasted Radishes w/ Garlic & Thyme

At a recent trip to an Indian restaurant, I had a delicious dish of tomatoes, potatoes and radishes. I'd never had anything but raw radishes before (in fact, I'd never even contemplated cooked radishes), but they were really good; the cooking makes them a lot less bitter. After reading this article in the NYTimes about roasted radishes, I decided to try something new.

The result was awesome! After a slow roast in the oven with a drizzle of olive oil, cracked whole garlic cloves, lots of thyme, and salt and pepper, the radishes were sweet but still a tad bit crunchy, and absolutely delicious. I could barely resist eating the whole batch at once.

Note: The first time I made this, I trimmed all of the radishes (the fuzzy tops don't appeal to me). The second time, I didn't feel like trimming them. I should have (the tops bothered me; weird, I know), but feel free to use your discretion. You can also substitute out 1 lb of radishes for 1 lb of quartered baby potatoes. They don't look too pretty but they taste great!

Tip for removing thyme from the stem: Drag your fingertips down from the top of the stalk down to the bottom so you are removing the leaves without breaking the stem at the same time; this works great for rosemary too.

Roasted Radishes w/ Garlic & Thyme

Ingredients:

2 lbs radishes, cleaned and trimmed
5 garlic cloves, cracked and peeled
3 Tbsp fresh thyme
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp cracked black pepper

Directions:

1. Place radishes in a 9x13 inch baking pan (you can use 2 smaller pans if necessary, try and make sure they are roughly in a single layer).
2. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with spices, and toss to coat.
3. Roast at 375 degrees for 60-75 minutes until skin is wrinkled and radishes are tender.

The cost:
radishes: 1.98
thyme: 1.99

Grand total: $3.97

Creamy Scalloped Potatoes (Vegan)

When I went dairy free, I really missed scalloped potatoes. The kind where you make a thick, cheesy sauce, pour it over thinly sliced potatoes, and then bake it in the oven until the cheese is bubbling and the potatoes are crispy-edged. Mmmmm.

Instead of trying to create something very cheese-like to replace this dish (I would invariably be disappointed), I instead set out to create a new scalloped potato dish that would be just as creamy and rich, but dairy free.

It took a number of tries, but I think I figured it out! I make a roux (mixture of fat and flour), then stir in a combination of spices, soup stock and a milk substitute (coconut milk or soy milk). It's no cheesy scalloped potatoes, but it's still pretty darn good.

For my St. Patrick's Day Dinner Party, I also added a layer of spinach in between the layers of potatoes for extra flavor (fine, and color :)).

Note: For a delicious and filling dinner, saute the onion with 1 lb ground meat, then add (maybe with a cup of peas) in step 4! This recipe is also Passover friendly if you substitute the flour for cake meal and the soy/coconut milk for additional soup stock.

Creamy Scalloped Potatoes (Vegan)

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp flour (regular or gluten free)
2 Tbsp white wine (optional)
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup milk substitute (soy or coconut milk work best)
1 lb baby potatoes, sliced thinly
1 small onion, quartered and sliced thinly

Directions:

1. Heat oil in large saucepan. Add flour and cook over medium heat 2-3 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon and watching carefully so it doesn't burn.
2. Whisk in wine (optional) and vegetable stock a few Tbsp at a time, making sure to incorporate all liquid before adding more. Once all stock has been added, bring to a boil and allow to bubble 1-2 minutes, stirring to avoid burning.
3. Remove from heat and stir in spices and soy milk (mixture should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon; if it isn't, return to a boil and allow to bubble an additional 1-2 minutes).
4. Add potatoes and onions, stirring to coat evenly.
5. Spread mixture into a greased 9x13 inch baking pan (I spread a single layer of potatoes, then a layer of fresh spinach, then topped it with another layer of potatoes). Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 50-60 minutes until potatoes and tender and the edges are crispy.

The cost:
stock/soy milk: 1.99
potatoes: 1.69
onion: .39

Grand total: $4.07; serves 6-8

Unstuffed Cabbage

My mom and I love stuffed cabbage, but it can be pretty time consuming, so she started making unstuffed cabbage, where she layered cabbage leaves and the ground meat filling, then baked it in the oven.

My version of unstuffed cabbage is even easier--the same principle flavors, you just add chopped cabbage to the filling and cook it all together. It's still delicious, and takes 1/4 of the time!

Check out the other St. Patrick's Day Dinner Party menu items: Beer Bread, Irish Soda Bread, and Guinness Braised London Broil.

Unstuffed Cabbage

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 lb ground meat
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
2 bags (20 oz) shredded green cabbage
1/4 cup ketchup
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp vinegar (I used cider)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a deep skillet or dutch oven. Add onions and cook until soft, 4-5 minutes. Add ground meat and brown, cooking 2-3 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, place cabbage in microwave for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add to pot with salt and pepper.
3. Whisk together ketchup, sugar and vinegar. Add to pot and stir to combine. Cook 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is tender.

The cost:
meat: 4.99
onion: .45
cabbage: 3.98

Grand total: $9.42 (less if you buy a whole cabbage and shred it yourself); serves 4-6

Daring Cooks Challenge: Risotto (w/ Homemade Vegetable Stock)

I may just have a new favorite comfort food.

It used to be baked macaroni & cheese before I had to become gluten & dairy free. I hadn't been able to find something to replace it...until now! The host of this month's Daring Cooks Challenge called it a comfort food but I was skeptical. I mean, rice as a comfort food?

So last week, I made risotto for the first time, and it was a-mazing. So creamy, succulent, ridiculously satisfying. The best part is, it's easily made dairy free, and rice is always gluten free! Delirious happiness is putting it mildly.

The challenge was to make not only risotto, but also your own stock for it! I made vegetarian rather than chicken stock since I made extra to use at a later time. It's really easy--throw a whole bunch of vegetables in a pot (I sauted the onions and garlic first), add 8-12 cups of water, then let it simmer until it has reduced at least by half; I reduced it to 1/3 the original amount of liquid for a super concentrated flavor.

I kept my stock flavors really simple because I like to do a lot with flavor when I'm using it for other things--just a mirepoix, water, salt, pepper, & 2 bay leaves. A lot of stock recipes say to discard the leftover veggies, but they served as a delicious snack for me :) I used most of my stock, but I would have stored the remainder in 1-cup servings (either in a container or freezer ziploc bag) in the freezer.

Now the risotto. I was a little intimidated but it's actually not that bad! You just need to be careful about adding the liquid a bit at a time, and then waiting until it is absorbed to add more. I can't eat dairy so I didn't use butter, but it still came out nice and creamy. I think I shall be making risotto more often :)

The 2010 March Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Eleanor of MelbournefoodGeek and Jess of Jessthebaker. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make risotto. The various components of their challenge recipe are based on input from the Australian Masterchef cookbook and the cookbook Moorish by Greg Malouf.

Homemade Vegetable Stock

Ingredients:

4 tsp vegetable oil
4 small onions, chopped
6 garlic cloves, cracked and peeled
4 carrots, scrubbed and cut into chunks
3 celery stalks, cut into chunks
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 bay leaves
12 cups water

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large stock pot and saute onions and garlic until soft, 5-6 minutes. Add carrots and celery and cook 4 minutes more.
2. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer for 2-3 hours or until liquid has reduced by at least one half.
3. Pour through a fine sieve to strain out any vegetable pieces. Store stock in the fridge up to a week, in the freezer pretty much indefinitely :)

Vegan Onion Risotto

Ingredients

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 cup arborio rice
3/4 cup white wine
3 1/2 cups vegetable stock
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat oil in dutch oven. Over medium flame cook onions until soft and translucent.
2. Add rice and brown 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add white wine, stirring to combine. Allow a low simmer, stirring occasionally until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Add remaining liquid 3/4 cup at a time, waiting until it has been absorbed to add more.

Note: I liked the creaminess of the risotto; if you like it dryer, add less liquid; creamier, add more!

The cost:
veggies: leftover, or about 5.00 to buy new
rice: 5.99
onion: .35

Grand total: $11.34; serves 4

Dinner Party Side Dish: Sriracha-Spiked Corn Muffins

I like corn bread, but it frequently suffers from being dry and crumbly. I got the idea a while back to make corn bread with creamed corn to give the corn flavor but keep it nice and moist, and it was a total score! The corn chunks also added a nice texture.

Corn bread does nicely when it's spicy (jalapeno corn bread is pretty popular), and I really like the play of sweet and spicy together, so I decided to kick the flavor up with a couple shots of sriracha (or you can use hot sauce). As usual, when given the choice I baked these as muffins :)

Spicy Corn Muffins

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 can creamed corn
1/2 tsp salt
pinch black pepper
1 Tbsp sriracha
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup flour (I used gluten free)

Directions:

1. Blend together eggs, oil, sugar, creamed corn, salt, pepper, and sriracha. Stir in baking soda, baking powder and flour.
2. Pour into greased muffin tin and bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes until edges are golden brown and tops are browned and firm. Cool on a baking rack.

The cost:
eggs: .28
corn: .79
flour: 1.15
other ingredients: <1.00

Grand total: $3.22; store muffins in airtight container

Citrus-Dressed Snow Pea & Tomato Salad

I had dinner at a friend's place a few weeks ago and was asked to bring a salad. I had originally planned on a Romaine lettuce salad, but my lettuce was yucky so I had to improvise. Evaluating the veggies I had on hand (I had already been to TJs once that day), I decided on a citrus-dressed snow peas & tomatoes salad w/ navel oranges.

Note: Segmenting a orange isn't too difficult, but it does make salads look really classy. Here's a nice little demo.

Citrus-Dressed Snow Pea & Tomato Salad

Ingredients:

2 navel oranges
1 bag snow peas
4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 scallions, chopped
1 tsp orange zest
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp agave
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
pinch of black pepper

Directions:

1. Segment both oranges, placing pieces in a salad bowl with snow peas and tomatoes; take what's left of the orange (center and membrane and such) and squeeze the juice into a small bowl.
2. To the orange juice, add remaining ingredients, whisking to combine. Pour over veggies and serve.

The cost:
snow peas: 2.49
oranges & tomatoes: 3.00
other ingredients: <1.00

Grand total: $6.49; serves 6-8

Garlic Roasted Baby Potatoes & Brussel Sprouts

This is an easy, filling and cheap side dish. You can really do this with any kinds of vegetables (sometimes I like to add cubed sweet potatoes) as long as they have relatively the same cooking time (i.e. don't use zucchini, it will be utter mush by the time everything else is cooked through). [pre- and post-oven pictures below :)]

Garlic Roasted Baby Potatoes & Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients:

1 lb baby potatoes
20 brussel sprouts
5 garlic cloves, peeled
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

1. Slice baby potatoes and brussel sprouts in half and place in roasting pan with garlic cloves. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, mixing to coat.
2. Roast uncovered at 400 degrees for 45-60 minutes, until brussel sprout outer leaves are crispy and potatoes are tender.

The cost:
potatoes: 1.99
brussel sprouts: 2.49

Grand total: $4.48

Quinoa Salad w/ Curry-Ginger-Cardamom Vinaigrette

A few weeks ago, AK and I visited his sister (a fellow gluten-freenik) and brother-in-law; Saturday we had a pretty lazy morning (read: slept in very late :)) and decided lunch should be light fare, mostly salads. I whipped up this quinoa salad with chickpeas, chopped pecans, and raisins for lots of texture, and a simple vinaigrette of apple cider vinegar, curry, ginger & cardamom.

Quinoa Salad w/ Curry-Ginger-Cardamom Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

1 cup of quinoa, cooked according to package & cooled
1 can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1 scallion, chopped
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped pecans

3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp honey or agave
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp ground ginger
pinch of garlic powder
pinch of pepper

Directions:

1. In a salad bowl mix together quinoa, chickpeas, scallions, raisins & pecans.
2. Blend together remaining ingredients and pour over quinoa mixture, stirring to combine.

The cost:
quinoa: .99
chickpeas: .69
scallion: .10
raisins: .40
pecans: .40

Grand total: $2.58; serves 4-6 as a side dish (recipe is easily doubled for a larger group)

Recipe 2-fer: Washington's Green Grocer Produce Box Adventure

I recently signed up to have a vegetable and fruit box delivered to me from local farms through Washington's Green Grocer. It doesn't cost too much more than I usually spend on produce in a given week, and it's local and organic!

I got my first box yesterday, and it had so many beautiful fruits and veggies including huckleberry potatoes (never even heard of them before--they are pink inside!), purple potatoes, purple top turnips (yikes don't usually cook with those), and kale.

Having never used turnips before in anything but chicken soup I was skeptical, but they were really flavorful, and in a good way! I peeled them after reading they have a tough and sometimes bitter skin, then roasted the turnips and potatoes simply with olive oil, salt, garlic powder and Aleppo pepper (you could substitute red pepper flakes).

For protein I decided on a stovetop chicken rubbed with a spice mix of smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and mustard seed (gave a great crunchy texture!), and then did a quick braise on the kale in the leftover juices.

All in all delicious, and I'm so glad I decided to do this local farm produce delivery!

Roasted Purple-Top Turnips with Huckleberry & Purple Potatoes

Ingredients:

2 large turnips, peeled and cubed
6 huckleberry potatoes, cubed
6 purple potatoes, cubed
1 Tbsp light olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Aleppo pepper

Directions:

1. Place veggies in a roasting pan. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with spices, mixing to coat.
2. Roast at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes covered, 20-25 minutes uncovered or until veggies are tender.

Smoked Paprika & Mustard Seed Crusted Chicken w/ Braised Kale

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil
6 scallions, chopped (or 1 onion, I just didn't have any)
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
1 Tbsp yellow mustard seeds
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sea salt
3 boneless chicken breasts
3 Tbsp vegetable stock
1 bunch of kale, cleaned

Directions:

1. Heat oil in large saute pan and saute scallions and garlic 4-5 minutes.
2. Combine paprika, mustard seeds, garlic powder & salt in a bowl. Pat chicken breasts dry, then dip into spice mixture, rubbing and massaging into chicken.
3. Add chicken to pan and cook 3-4 minutes on each side or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from pan.
4. Remove kale leaves from stalk and tear leaves into bite-sized pieces (discard stalk or save for making soup stock another time). Deglaze pan with soup stock and add kale, turning to coat in juices. Cook 1-2 minutes until tender but still very green.

The cost:
veggies: $9.00 (1/4 of box)
chicken: 6.17

Grand total: $15.17; serves 2 + lunch leftovers :)

Dinner Party (Part 3 of 5): Balsamic Glazed Chickpeas w/ Red Swiss Chard

I had originally planned to do roasted brussel sprouts for my dinner party veggie side dish, but the red swiss chard looked so amazing I just couldn't resist (it hasn't looked good in MONTHS). I decided to pair the chard with chickpeas for texture, and caramelized onions and balsamic vinegar for flavor. It was the hit of the night! (Note: So I didn't realize I had already posted a similar recipe, but this one uses a different kind of chard, and has a super awesome picture!)

P.S. Check out parts one and two of the dinner menu, and stay tuned for coconut curry chicken and banana cake with candied walnuts later this week!

Balsamic Glazed Chickpeas w/ Red Swiss Chard

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, cut into quarters and sliced thinly
1 large bunch red swiss chard, cleaned
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tsp honey or agave
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp sea salt
pinch of black pepper

Directions:

1. Heat oil in large skillet and saute onion until soft, 4-5 minutes.
2. Remove stems from swiss chard and cut into bite-sized pieces; add pieces to onions and cook 6-8 minutes more until onions are caramelized.
3. Add chickpeas and honey/agave and stir to combine. Deglaze the pan with the balsamic vinegar, then add salt and pepper. Cook 5-6 minutes until liquid has reduced.
4. Tear or cut swiss chard leaves into bite-sized pieces and add to skillet, turning to coat in balsamic reduction. Cover with a lid for 1 minute, just until leaves are wilted. Remove from heat immediately.

The cost:
onion: .45
chard: 2.29
chickpeas: .79
other ingredients: <.50

Grand total: $4.03; serves 8

Dinner Party (Part 2 of 5): Twice Baked Parsnip & Sweet Potato Mash w/ Pecan Streusel Topping

Dear Readers,

For the first time since I started tracking my blog with Google Analytics, I have surpassed 1,000 visits in a 30 day period. And it's because of you! Thank you so much to all of my loyal followers (and first-time visitors too!), and please continue to enjoy my recipes and ideas :)

Dinner Party Menu:
Cucumber, Fennel & Radish Salad
Twice Baked Parsnip & Sweet Potato Mash w/ Pecan Streusel Topping
Balsamic Glazed Chickpeas w/ Red Swiss Chard
Coconut Curry Chicken
Banana Nut Cake w/ Candied Walnuts (Recipe Remix from this Recipe Remix)

I've been wanting to try something with parsnips ever since I used them a while back and asked people for recipe ideas. For this dish, I baked them with sweet potatoes and mashed everything together, then topped it with a mixture of oats, cinnamon, pecans and honey. I popped it back into the oven just to brown the top and get the streusel all crispy.

Note: I thought this dish was great, but it would have been spectacular had I thought to stir in a Tbsp or so of fresh ginger or lemon zest.

Twice Baked Parsnip & Sweet Potato Mash w/ Pecan Streusel Topping

Ingredients:

Mash:
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 lb parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Topping:
1/2 cup oats (I used gluten free)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup honey, brown sugar or agave
pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Place sweet potatoes and parsnips in a 9 x 13 pan and drizzle with oil. Cover and bake at 400 degrees 20-25 minutes until veggies are very soft, stirring occasionally.
2. Mash (or I used my immersion blender) veggies until they are smooth. Stir in cinnamon and salt and spread into back into pan.
3. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over mash. Turn oven down to 350 degrees and bake 8-10 minutes or until topping is golden brown and crispy.

The cost:
sweet potatoes: 1.49
parsnips: 1.99
other ingredients: <1.00

Grand total: $4.48; serves 8 as a side dish

Dinner Party (Part 1 of 5): Cucumber, Fennel & Radish Salad

I hadn't hosted a meal in a while, so I decided to host a dinner party last night--thanks to both JG's, JK, LM, and RK for letting me cook for them, and especially to AK for washing the mountain dishes :).

The menu was:

Cucumber, Fennel & Radish Salad (Recipe Remix from this)
Twice Baked Parsnip & Sweet Potato Mash w/ Pecan Streusel Topping
Balsamic Glazed Chickpeas w/ Red Swiss Chard
Coconut Curry Chicken
Banana Nut Cake w/ Candied Walnuts (Recipe Remix from this Recipe Remix)

Sorry, you won't get all of the recipes today--but check back, because you'll get one recipe a day for the rest of the week!

P.S. If you haven't yet filled out my reader poll, please do by clicking here!

Recipe Remix: Cucumber, Fennel & Radish Salad

Ingredients:

1 large fennel bulb + 1 Tbsp fennel fronds
8 radishes
1 English cucumber
1 orange bell pepper
zest of one lemon
juice of 2 lemons
1/2 tsp honey or agave
2 tsp vegetable oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. Cut fennel bulb in half and peel off outer layer. Slice thinly into half-rounds (I used my mandolin). Slice radishes and cucumber into thin rounds, and julienne the orange pepper.
2. Blend together lemon zest & juice, oil, honey/agave, salt & pepper and pour over salad veggies. Serve immediately.

The cost:
fennel: 2.29
radishes: .89
cucumber: 2.00
pepper: 1.00 (on sale $1 each)
lemons: .78

Grand total: $6.96; serves 8

Brown Basmati Rice w/ Lentils

I usually stick to white basmati rice, mostly because I'm just used to it, but when they were out of white at TJs this week I decided to be adventurous and grab a bag of brown basmati.

A lot of people don't like brown rice because it has a lot more texture than white, but what they may not realize is that in order to turn rice white, it is stripped of many of its nutrients (see more about that here).

Here is a simple and delicious recipe using brown basmati--the texture is nicely balanced by the sauted onions and lentils.

Brown Basmati Rice w/ Lentils

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups brown basmati rice, rinsed
1/2 cup lentils, picked over and rinsed
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups soup stock
2 1/4 cups water

Directions:

1. Heat oil in medium stock pot and saute onion until soft and translucent, 5-6 minutes.
2. Add remaining ingredients, stir just to combine and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce to a low flame and simmer 35-40 minutes until liquid is absorbed and rice and lentils are tender.

The cost:
onion: .45
rice: 1.99
lentils: .25
stock: 1.99

Grand total: $4.68; serves 6-8 as a side for fish/chicken and steamed veggies

Roasted Brussel Sprouts & Baby Sweet Potatoes

Last night I made dinner for AK and myself; I decided on my baked BBQ tofu and a pot of quinoa, but also wanted something else so I roasted some brussel sprouts and sliced baby sweet potatoes with just a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder.

P.S. In response to some comments I'm going to start having periodic posts about entire meals, such as the one I made last night. I whipped the whole thing up in about 20 minutes, then just had to wait for everything to cook with very little maintenance.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts & Baby Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

1 bag brussel sprouts
1 container baby sweet potatoes (about 8)
1 Tbsp light olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Slice brussel sprouts in half lengthwise. Slice sweet potatoes into 1/2 inch thick rings.
3. Place veggies in a roasting pan, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with spices. Toss to coat.
4. Roast in the oven covered 20-25 minutes, then uncovered 8-10 minutes.

The cost:
brussel sprouts: 2.49
sweet potatoes: 1.99

Grand total: $4.48; serves 4 as a side dish

Meal cost:
tofu: 2.98
roasted veggies: 4.48
quinoa: 3.99 (if you count buying the box, I only used about 1/3)

Meal grand total: $11.45

Special Holiday Recipe: Cranberry Apple Fennel Compote

Tart cranberries, sweet apples and fennel, spicy cinnamon and nutmeg--all of the flavors meld together for a delightful dish just in time for the holiday season. I use something new in this recipe: Meyer lemons, which are a sweeter version of the regular lemon. A little vinegar balances out the sweetness of the sugar, and the bourbon adds a subtle bit of pizazz.

Note: I like a tarter compote, but if you like sweeter flavors feel free to add more sugar.

Cranberry Apple Fennel Compote

Ingredients:

3 apples, peeled and chopped
1 fennel bulb, chopped (white part only)
18 oz fresh cranberries
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup water
zest of 2 meyer lemons
juice of 2 meyer lemons
pinch of salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp bourbon

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a deep saucepan or small stock pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer 20-25 minutes until apple and fennel are soft and cranberries have "popped."

Serving ideas: Serve over turkey or chicken, or spoon over vanilla ice cream and top with toasted almonds.

The cost:
apples: 1.49
fennel: 2.39
cranberries: 3.98
lemons: 2.69

Grand total: $10.55; serves 8-12 depending on how you use it

Crunchy Asian Slaw

Notice a theme here? Once I started on one Asian-inspired recipe, it kicked off a stream of consciousness where that was all I could think about because (1) I love Asian food, and (2) Asian-style cooking uses flavorful, healthy ingredients.

This is a go-to recipe for me whenever I need to make a vegetable side dish. It's simple, the flavors work well together, and it's a different spin on the average cole slaw.

Crunchy Asian Slaw

Ingredients:

1 package purple cabbage
1 cups shredded carrots
2 scallions, chopped
1/2 cup shelled edamame (soybeans)

2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp honey
pinch of pepper
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
dash of hot sauce

1/2 cup chow mein noodles

Directions:

1. Toss cabbage, carrots, scallions and edamame in a large bowl.
2. Blend soy sauce, vinegar, oil, honey, pepper, mustard and hot sauce.
3. Pour dressing over slaw veggies and toss to coat. Allow to sit at least 1 hour before serving (overnight is even better).
4. Garnish with noodles just before serving.

The cost:
cabbage: 1.99
carrots: 1.99
scallions: .15
edamame: 1.99
noodles: 2.39

Grand total: $8.51; serves 6-8 as a side

Yet Another Chanukah Recipe: Wontons w/ Bourbon Dipping Sauce

Wontons wrappers are fun--you can pretty much put anything inside, then all you need to do is fry them up into crispy deliciousness. For those of you who are health conscious and prefer not to deep fry things, you can pop these into boiling water for a few minutes (or steam them if you have a steamer) and have dumplings instead!

Note: It's easy to fall prey to overstuffing wontons so they fall apart in the cooking process. In general, you want to leave enough room around the edges to really press the wrapper together so it won't open and spill out everywhere.

Veggie Wontons w/ Bourbon Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup shredded cabbage
1 shallot, sliced thinkly
2 scallion, chopped (reserve 1 Tbsp for sauce)
salt and pepper to taste

1 package wonton wrappers
oil for frying

1/4 cup bourbon
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp brown sugar or honey
reserved scallions

Directions:

1. Heat 1 tsp oil in saucepan and saute carrots, cabbage, spinach and scallion until just softened but not browned, 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Lay wonton wrappers on a large baking sheet. Place 1 tsp of veggie mixture into center, then seal by wetting the edges with water (or egg) then pressing into a triangle shape (note: you can also make into a bundle or a variety of other traditional shapes).
3. Heat oil for frying in deep sauce pan. Fry until wontons are crispy and browned (note: if you are boiling for dumplings, make sure you stir so wontons don't stick together).
4. For sauce: Combine bourbon, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar/honey and scallions in a small pan. Bring to a boil and cook until syrupy (thick enough to stick to the back of a spoon).

Fun variations:

• Cook ground chicken, turkey or beef with the veggies.
• Add a couple of dashes of hot sauce for a spicier dipping sauce.
• Experiment with different fillings! You can even go sweet, like sauted diced apple &  fennel, cinnamon and brown sugar.
  

The price:
wrappers: 1.99
carrots: 1.99
cabbage: 1.99
shallot: 1.99
scallions: .15

Grand total: $8.11; serves 8-10

Another Chanukah Recipe: Fried Pineapple

It struck me this morning that the association of the potato with Chanukah is actually completely arbitrary--it's the oil we fry up the latkes in that is a symbol of the holiday (commemorating the miracle that the menorah [candelabra] in the Temple stayed lit for 8 days when the amount of oil shouldn't even have lasted one), not the potato.

So here is a recipe to help celebrate Chanukah--my mom used to make it all the time, and it can work as a side dish or as a dessert (and it does incorporate a bit of sweet potato for good measure :)).

Fried Pineapple

Ingredients:

3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of black pepper
1 can pineapple rings
oil for frying

1 sweet potato
shredded coconut

Directions:

1. Combine flour, BP, sugar, salt and pepper in a shallow dish.
2. Dredge pineapple rings in flour mixture, shaking to remove any excess.
3. Heat oil in deep saucepan and fry pineapple until crust is golden and crispy, 1-2 minutes on each side.
4. Cook sweet potato and mash or blend smooth. Garnish each pineapple ring with a dollop of sweet potato in the center and sprinkle with shredded coconut. Serve immediately.

The cost:
pineapple: 1.89
sweet potato: .30
coconut: 4.99/bag

Grand total: $7.18; serves 4-6

Easy & Cheap Side Dish: Corn Kugel

This is one of my all-time favorite recipes because it's so easy--you pretty much just dump everything in a bowl, mix it up, and pop it in the oven.

Now I have to credit my friend BL with the original recipe--I've adapted it a bit just to make it a little healthier, but she certainly deserves the credit for introducing me to this deliciousness :)

Corn Kugel

Ingredients:

1 can creamed corn
3/4 cup applesauce
2 eggs
1 Tbsp oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup flour

Directions:

1. Mix creamed corn, applesauce, eggs, oil, sugar, and spices.
2. Whisk in baking soda, baking powder and flour until just combined.
3. Pour into a square (8x8) pan and bake in oven at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until edges are crispy and top is browned and risen.

The cost: cheap (1.29 for the creamed corn, everything else from the pantry)

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

One thing about my mandolin is I'm a little scared of it. Or at least, of cutting my fingers off. So when I made the shaved brussel sprout salad over the weekend, I was left with about half of each sprout because I didn't want my fingers to get too close to the blade and the sprouts were too small for the hang guard. What to do with those leftover halves? Why, roasted brussel sprouts of course!

I'm a believer that the only way to cook brussel sprouts is to roast them until they are crispy and just on this side of burnt. Simple flavors--olive oil, a few garlic cloves, salt, and pepper. The perfect winter side dish.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Some brussel sprouts
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Slice sprouts in half length-wise and place with garlic cloves in a baking pan.
3. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to coat.
4. Bake in the oven until sprouts are soft and the outer leaves are crispy and garlic cloves are soft and browned, stirring occasionally, 40-60 minutes.

The cost:
sprouts: pre-existing collateral damage (or 2.49 for a bag)
garlic: .40

Grand total: Cheap