Cooking Classes at The Grove: Kale. It’s What’s for Dinner.

I will be offering a couple more cooking classes this winter at Inver Grove Hts Community Center (south east suburb). I taught some this past fall (see previous posts from Oct). We’re going to be focusing on Kale and possibly Quinoa. I’m always advocating for the leafy green veggies like kale, collard greens, turnip green, beet greens, et al. Check out my Delivered Dish of the Week menu archives: I’ve served up dozens of dishes with these greens this past year, and more are coming!

Clockwise from top: "Dino" Lacinato kale, collard greens, turnip greens, red radishes in center. Photo by Brad Dahlgaard 2009.

These sturdy greens, many in the cabbage (cruciferous) family, are much more nutritious than salad greens, which are mostly water. There’s so much you can do to incorporate these versatile and super-nutritious greens into easy dishes & soups, and, to enjoy all by themselves.

For instance, see my recipe for Super Green Split Pea Soup (scroll down a few entries). Another really nice one is Kale & Yam pureed soup which I got from the “Love Soup” cookbook and made for DDoW clients in November.

I love to pair kale/collards with yam aka sweet potatoes — the sweetness and starch of yam complements the greens. And, you get 2 superfoods in one dish. The upcoming Mafe Stew for DDoW is a good example.

The cooking class students will make 4 different Kale dishes in one session, such as raw in salad, braised with beans, and also baked kale ‘chips’. Kale is also used in fruit & veg smoothies, and no, they don’t taste like pureed salad!

The Grove has a big community room with a kitchen, mostly used by IGH’s senior center programs. The downside is this kitchen lacks a stove!  It does have an oven. I’ll be bringing a large electric wok and probably a hot plate to cook the kale.

DDoW starts up again next week

I am postponing Delivered Dish of the Week service until next week (Jan 15 – 21) . I am in the midst of a major re-organization of my home & office. Literally — it’s like a corn maze of plastic storage tubs. I need a bit more time to put these jigsaw pieces into place, or I’ll never find anything. True, I couldn’t find stuff before, but at least my tottering piles had some sort of structure, speaking anthropologically.

I am also re-evaluating the cost-effectiveness of offering the Paleo meat dishes. The pricing will have to increase. More announcements about that are forthcoming. In the meantime, I have greatly appreciated your enthusiastic response to the stews I offered in December!

Jan – Feb Menus

Jan 15 – 21
1) Green Tamale Casserole. Vegan, gluten-free. You asked and you shall receive! The most popular dish of Fall 2011 is back. Presented in a foil loaf pan, this layers beans & chopped kale stewed in a tomatillo sauce with steamed corn tamale dough made from Bob’s Red Mill organic masa flour. Kid-friendly. Add a little cheese on top when reheating if you wish. Keeps and freezes well.

2) Colorful Cabbage Slaw in Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette. Vegan, gluten-free. A crunchy, satisfying raw salad that is perfect with tamales, soup, meats, beans and especially in tacos & burritos. Eat a cup or more a day to keep the doctor away. You can also mix it with plain rice or quinoa for a piquant pilaf, or, throw it in ramen/pho or tom yung gang soup.

Jan 22 – 28
1) Mafe Stew with Sweet Potatoes, Kale and Red Beans. Vegan, gluten-free; contains peanuts. Mafe is a delicious West African dish made with tomato sauce & peanut butter (called ground nuts). Sounds funny but the nut butter adds richness and balances the acidity of tomatoes, as do the sweet potatoes. It just tastes like a creamy tomato sauce. Kids love it. Addictive and extremely comforting.

2) Mafe w/ Chicken, Sweet Potatoes and Kale. Gluten-free. This dish fits the Paleo diet profile, substituting chicken for beans.

3) Millet with Caramelized Onions & Carrots. Vegan, gluten-free. Millet is dry and bland all by itself, so I like to make it with soft moist veggies. It will continue to dry out in the refrigerator, so sprinkle a little water each time you reheat. A very mild dish that kids might like.

Jan 29 – Feb 4
1) Curried Barley Salad with Cranberries & Coconut. Vegan; contains gluten. A very popular catering dish that gets better as it sits. Chewy satisfying barley is wonderful in grain salads, especially with chopped crunchy veggies. Not spicy.

2) Mulligatawny Lentil Soup. Vegan, gluten-free. A slight twist on the classic Anglo-Indian curried soup that has apples, lots of veg and fresh parsley. Both of this week’s dishes have ‘curry’ spices — guess what I’m craving — but I will make them different enough. Add sliced almonds or almond butter for a fancy touch.

Feb 5 – 11
1) Garbanzo Thai Coconut Curry. Vegan; Masaman curry paste contains gluten so pls notify far in advance if you want a gluten-free green curry instead. With greens and some squash, this is a very comforting one-pot meal w/ rice. Mildly spicy.

2) Laab TVP Salad. Vegan, gluten-free; contains soy. Same as the Laab Noodle Salad served this summer but without noodles. Just lots of crunchy raw veg like cabbage & radishes layered with marinated TVP in a bright, Thai, lime-juice dressing. Will have a bit of Thai-pepper kick.

Church Basement Ladies Beware

Sorry,  no beige food on Dec’s menu — or ever — and the flavors are amped up, so beware, church basement ladies (CBLs), beware!  Get thee hence! Image of me holding a wreath of garlic, warding off plaid-aproned zombies clutching cans of cream of mushroom soup…. (Pls note I myself am a “church lady” so I am not castigating CBLs universally.)

And, if they would try them, I think even Lutherans would like the modesty of the mild, nutty black-eyed pea (legume) that was featured last week. But naturally I added  sauteed fresh turnip greens and a heckuva lot of garlic. You can use frozen turnip (or any) greens too, but it won’t have the slightly crisp texture as sauteed.

"Cuban" Pork Pot Roast (green olives, sweet peppers, carrots). Incredible sauce.

I’m having fun coming up with super-flavorful “Paleo” meat dishes, like the Cuban Pork Pot Roast pictured below, the Oxtail Soup and the Coq au Vin from previous weeks. Slow-cooked meats are such a comfort, and the broths / sauces produced are life-giving. You must use meat with bones for the stock to be flavorful and nutritious; and the meat will be more tender as well.

I am likely going to serve this Pork Roast for an upcoming family celebration that I am catering after Xmas. The client likes Mexican flavors. Ideas include: Roast Sweet Potatoes w/ lime, Cilantro Rice, Cuke Jicama & Fennel Salad, Mini-Tamales, Corn Quinoa Casserole w/ Queso Blanco.

Notice this menu is gluten-free! 

More news and menus will be posted soon!

Caveman Classics

In response to requests, I’ve decided to offer, on a trial basis, a meat & veg dish for DDoW that complies with the “Paleolithic” aka “Primal” or “caveman” diet. This regimen emphasizes intakes of moderate protein & fat and high vegetable & fruits and excludes many carbohydrates, ie grains and sugar. Some people exclude dairy and beans/legumes as well. What you can eat is meat, vegetables, tubers, nuts, seeds and fruit. 

A few staples of a Paleo / Primal diet. This photo is missing greens, so imagine a giant bunch of kale here.

Here’s a link to one of the gurus of Paleo, Mark Sisson. See also a hilarious and well-done illustrated guide.

Guess what? By avoiding grains & sugar, you automatically avoid most processed foods. That in itself is an achievement. Many athletes such as Lance Armstrong follow this regimen, and so did the professional ball player I used to cook for. A Paleo-type diet is also beneficial for meat-eaters with common food allergies such as gluten, dairy and soy.

NOTE: No one diet is for every body. You have to find that which suits your own body the best!

So, in addition to my regular vegetarian dishes, I will be making small batch dishes of organic, mostly local, meats. Think stews, curries and pot roasts. I will make only a limited amount. These will cost more than regular DDoW fare and prices will probably change from dish to dish, since organic meat prices vary for chicken, pork and beef. 

ORDERING PALEO: The weekly deadline for Paleo dishes will be SAT NOON, instead of the regular Sun 6pm cut-off. But, since I’m making only limited quantities and, there seems to be a lot of interest, you are advised to order well in advance of Sat. Weeks ahead is fine, in fact. This will help me plan quantities and accommodate you. I will notify you if you are unlucky and/or I’m sold out.

Coq au Vin (Chicken Stewed in Red Wine)

We start this week! Caveman Classics for December:

1) Coq au Vin

2) Dad’s Oxtail Soup  

3) Cuban Pork Pot Roast  

4) 5-Spice Beef Stew

See Dish of the Week Menu Archive for descriptions of all DDoW meat and vegetarian dishes in December.

Success and Gratitude

Cabbage Pineapple & Cilantro Slaw in Lime Vinaigrette, Pureed Carrot Ginger Spread, Roast Plantains. (Photo by Sharon Ramirez)

The big Auction Dinner on Sat went well and I am so thankful to the 20 volunteer cooks and servers who helped me pull it off!  They chopped, stirred, sauteed, baked and blended with aplomb, good humor and minimal direction. Susan made the collard dish from start to finish, and she’d never even tried collards before! And now she knows a terrific recipe.

(top to bottom) Rice Pilaf with Lentils & Caramelized Onions, Jerk Chicken Stew with Sweet Potatoes, Sauteed Collards with Red Bell Peppers & Raisins. Photo by Sharon Ramirez.

I am quite proud of the fact the menu was again gluten- and dairy-free (vegan). (See previous post for full menu.)

It means a lot to me when guests with food issues can enjoy a meal with their family or community. Plus, I like the challenge of designing these menus.

On the nutritional side, this meal got an A. Lots of Vitamin A, too. Super Food count was 3 : collards, cabbage, sweet potatoes. Nearly all the starches were complex carbs – plantains, sweet potatoes, brown rice & lentils.  The only processed sugar was the brown sugar in the pineapple upside-down cake. Fats were minimal, esp if you didn’t take a lot of chicken sauce.

Roast Plantains w/ spicy Sriracha sauce (photo by Sharon Ramirez).

Turning to ethnic cuisines is the key to designing tasty gluten-free and dairy-free meals. Although actually (as noted here last year), a traditional British/American Sunday roast dinner of meat & potatoes is gluten-free, too. Thanksgiving or Christmas type meals can be too if you revise the bread-based stuffing and make a crust-less pie. So get over it, people.

While dinner guests definitely liked the whole meal, the Jerk Chicken & Sweet Potato entree received the most comments and requests for the recipe. It is super easy. I just used Frontier’s Jamaican Jerk seasoning blend from the co-op. I have made jerk sauce from scratch but for a 150-person dinner, I needed to save time.

Jerk Chicken w/ Sweet Potatoes feeds a crowd on a chilly night. (photo by Sharon Ramirez)

Here are general instructions:

~ Mince lots of fresh green onions and garlic in a food processor. [if you have extra, make a vinaigrette or dip with it, or save for another marinade, pasta sauce etc.]
~ Cut chicken thighs into chunks (or leave them whole if you are having a sit-down dinner). Put in a large baking pan.
~ Liberally sprinkle Jamaican Jerk seasoning blend, dried thyme and salt onto chicken. Add the onion-garlic mixture and some olive oil, and toss well with your clean hands to evenly coat chicken. Set chicken aside to marinate for 30 min if you have time.
~ Cover with foil and bake chicken for 30 min at 425 F. (Chunks cook faster than whole thighs.)
~ While it’s baking, dice sweet potatoes and boil til soft. Scoop out of pot and set aside. Use the hot water for blanching a green vegetable such as collard greens.
~ Pull chicken out. It will be moist b/c of the foil covering. Pour the juice into a large pot, bring to a boil, and add some more seasoning blend & salt to taste. Simmer to reduce and concentrate flavors. (At this point you could add any fresh or frozen green vegetable.)
~ Add back the chicken and the sweet potatoes. Taste again, add salt if you like (since you diluted it with potatoes).

Serve over rice or other whole grain like spelt, kamut, wheatberry, kasha, millet or quinoa. Or, you could make it into a pot pie! (yum).  I like to serve spicy food with a tart citrusy salad — in Sat’s case, a pineapple & cilantro cabbage slaw in lime vinaigrette – to cool one’s tongue.

Red Bell Peppers & raisins sweeten sauteed fresh collards, and make a beautiful dish. (Photo by Sharon Ramirez)

Caribbean Dinner Menu

As mentioned in earlier posts and my weekly email blast, I’m cooking dinner for 175 people this weekend at a church auction event. Many many volunteers will be helping me prep cook, serve, etc. I am shopping like crazy, will hit the farmers market tomorrow morning for collards etc, and then start banging around the church’s big kitchen tomorrow.


The dinner will be mostly vegetarian, gluten- and dairy-free and also low-fat, but far from boring! Guests don’t even notice, and there’s chicken for meat-eaters. Plus, vegetarian fare helps keep costs down for large events.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake is another dessert that's easy to make for a crowd. Mango sauce and whipped cream were optional toppings. Made a Gluten-free version of same cake.

MENU FOR CARIBBEAN-THEMED DINNER

Roast Plaintains w/ Two Dipping Sauces
Raw Veggie Tray w/ Green Onion Dip and Carrot Ginger Spread (both vegan)
Orange Green Olive Cream Cheese & crackers

Jerk Chicken or Tempeh with Sweet Potatoes
Brown Rice Pilaf with Lentils & Caramelized Onions
Sauteed Collards w/ Red Bell Peppers & Raisins
Cabbage Pineapple & Cilantro Slaw

Tropical Fruit Upside Down Cake w/ Mango Ginger Sauce & Whipped Cream
(plus a gluten-free version and a vegan chocolate pudding)

Keen for Quinoa

NOTICE: I am taking next week off. Delivered Dish of the Week returns for Thanksgiving.

Yesterday I spent the afternoon with a family who is going gluten- and dairy-free for behavioral/medical reasons. I showed them 4 easy ways to eat quinoa: plain like rice; hot cereal w/ soy milk & raisins; in a tabbouleh-like vegetable salad dressed w/ vinaigrette; and mixed with roasted butternut squash & apples. We also pureed silken tofu, white beans, herbs & garlic to make a dairy-free creamy ricotta-like sauce that is works well in gluten-free lasagna and moussaka.

This weekend, for the 4th year in a row, I am serving as executive chef for a church auction event. Many volunteers and I will cook a Caribbean-themed dinner for 175 people! As usual, the menu is primarily vegetarian (with one meat course) and gluten-free! See menu on next post.

THIS WEEK’S MENU

Nov  7 – 13

1) Pumpkin & White Bean Soup. Vegan and gluten-free. You knew pumpkin was coming. Cumin & coriander will dominate seasoning of this pureed soup. Sprinkle with roast pepitas. I don’t usually puree soups, but I got a new immersion blender!  :^) Btw, this is a very low-fat high fiber dish.

2) Spicy Cactus & Rice Salad w/ Lime & Cilantro Dressing. Vegan and gluten-free. Spicy pickled nopalitos come in jars or cans in the Hispanic aisle. Think pickled green beans. Celery & purple cabbage will add crunch.

Nov  14 – 20   ON VACATION
No deliveries this week!!

Nov  21 – 27  THANKSGIVING

1) Sauteed Collards w/ Cranberries & Red Peppers. Vegan and gluten-free. Nothing like traditional southern collards which are cooked (usually with ham or bacon) til very soft, this very lightly braised dish preserves the firm texture, deep green color and nutrients of this Super Food vegetable from the immune-boosting cabbage family. Pretty red Craisins and bell peppers add the perfect sweet piquant flavor to contrast and complement.

2) Lemony Quinoa & Lentils. Vegan and gluten-free. A nice light side dish that pleases vegetarians at your table, as well as being a gluten-free, more nutritious companion/alternative to heavy bread-based stuffing. And, you don’t have to warm it up.

Farmers Markets on weekends only

I am seriously bumming that the weekday metro Farmers Markets are all done for the season as of this week. And my favorite, St Paul Farmers Market in Lowertown (weekends only), closes Nov 15th! Aiiyeee!  But the Mpls market on North Lyndale is open daily 6am – 1pm til Dec 25th. The variety of produce available is dwindling fast. But for now, there are lots of herbs, hardy greens (kale, collards, brussel sprouts, cabbage), carrots and other root veg, a dizzying variety of hard squash, locally produced meats & eggs, and packaged foods.

Here’s a link to a nice video “Meet the Vendors of Mpls Farmers Market”.

Brussel Sprout plants

So get over there and take advantage of fresh & local produce while you still can! It tastes better and is also less expensive than the grocery store’s. The squash will keep til Thanksgiving. Chop & blanch a big batch of greens, freeze, and pull out for your holiday cooking. If brussel sprouts are a staple at your holiday table, you’ll save a lot of $. Those are so pricey at the grocery store at holiday time and it seems everybody just has to have them.

Speaking of sprouts, my dear friend and fellow caterer Jason made Roasted Brussel Sprouts w/ Shallots and threw in minced fresh mint before serving. The mint was a lovely addition. Try it!

 

 

The Stomachs Have Spoken!

… and the Yums carry the day. I have never had so many unsolicited positive reviews of any one dish than for last week’s Green Tamale Pie! Some people tell me they love XYZ and, I think generally most people like most dishes, but the feedback for this was unprecedented. Thank you!  I really appreciate feedback, for one thing. And it does help me choose menus. The casseroles are always popular so obviously I should offer more. Look for more tamale pie this winter!

Btw, you’ll notice the casserole did not contain cheese and since it’s made with only corn flour, was gluten-free as well. Given everybody’s comments, I don’t think anybody missed cheese. We use more cheese than necessary w/ Tex-Mex, or I should say, Midwest-Mex.

Clockwise from top: "Dino" Lacinato kale, collard greens, turnip greens. Photo by Brad Dahlgaard.

The Green Tamale Pie (casserole in loaf pans) was filled with black beans & chopped collards in a tomatillo sauce. Smushy bean dishes are an excellent place to use these hardy green veg. Think burritos and enchiladas. Braising with seasoned beans softens them up and takes away the bitterness. Use black beans and chop or mince the greens finely. Then they disappear visually. Those picky eaters won’t even notice.

Similarly, I put 8 lg bunches of fresh collards, minced in a food processor, in the Super Green Split Pea soup this week. I’m not sure you can tell by the taste that’s it’s fresh, since the beany flavor dominates. (Let me know.) But at least we get some karma points. Of course, you can use frozen greens, and I will do so later this winter. That wonderful convenience makes cooking either of these 2 dishes easy & fast. For soups & stews, use a slow cooker. Everybody should have one. It will change your life.

In other news:

Introducing a coaching client to Yu Choy, a tasty Chinese green related to Bok Choy. (Photo Brad Dahlgaard)

• Next week I am teaching a cooking lesson to a family who wants to go gluten- and dairy-free, for behavioral/medical reasons.
• The following week, for the 4th year in a row, I am serving as executive chef for a church auction event. Many volunteers and I will cook dinner for 175 people! More in my next post.

• 

  Show and tell with samples of whole grains (me on the right). (Photo Brad Dahlgaaard).