Author Archives: BH food blog

Sweet Sesame Salad Dressing

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This is good on everything. It’s adapted from Lynn who brought it to dress her beautiful spinach salad on Christmas Eve in Steamboat.

1/3 cup rice vinegar
1T agave or coconut palm sugar
1 t salt
1/2 ground pepper
1 T sesame oil
1/2 cup olive or other oil (grapeseed, canola, safflower)

Whisk together the first 5 ingredients, then drizzle in the oil while while whisking.
You can also shake the first 5 ingredients in a jar, then drizzle in the oil and shake everything together until emulsified.

 

A Glorious Green Salad

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Thanks to Carmen Cordovez for the beautiful photo.

(This recipe was inspired by Lynn’s Christmas Eve salad in Steamboat.)

Fill a salad bowl with salad greens or fresh spinach.

Add generous amounts of any or all of the following:

Diced avocado (rinse with water to prevent discoloration)
Feta or Goat cheese
Dried cranberries or cherries
Fresh apples, pears, strawberries or pomegranate
A basket of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Sliced red onion
Toasted (sweetened) pecans, almonds, or walnuts

Toss with Sweet Sesame Salad Dressing.

Sesame Poppy Vinaigrette

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This recipe comes from mom, who poured it on a salad with grilled chicken, hard boiled eggs, and tomatoes. It makes enough to store in the fridge and dress several salads.

Whirl together in a food processor:

1/3 cup wine vinegar
2 T agave (more or less to taste)
2 T honey (optional, if you like it sweeter)
1/4 cup sesame seeds, lightly toasted
2 T poppy seeds
2 T finely chopped onion or shallots
1 t Worcestershire sauce (optional)
1/2 t paprika
1 t salt

Slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup oil (grapeseed, canola, olive).

SOS Brownies

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These brownies made eating without grains and refined sugar possible for our family. They are delicious. And, because they contain a jar of almond butter, they’re considered a protein, right? So I can justify the generous slice I put in Alice’s lunch bag….

(adapted from Elana’s Pantry)

1 16-oz jar creamy roasted almond butter
2 eggs
1 T vanilla
1/2 cup agave
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup cacao powder
1/2 t salt
1 t baking soda
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Blend all ingredients (except walnuts) until smooth. Stir in nuts. Pour into a greased 9×13 pan. Bake at 325 for about 35 minutes.

Chocolate Macaroons

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Another dessert that we love – raw, paleo, and still good!
(from Tessa the Domestic Diva)

Pulse in a food processor:

2 cups shredded coconut
1/3 c. coconut oil
1/4 c. cacao powder
1/4 c. agave, maple syrup, or honey (or a combination)
1/2 t. vanilla
1/4 t. salt

Gently form into balls and chill on a cookie sheet in the freezer or fridge. Once firm, store them chilled. Dip into the bag as needed!

 

Candy Nuts

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Leo named our maple toasted pecans “candy nuts.” I toss these nuts into all our salads….just one step ahead of Leo who is tossing them in his mouth as fast as they cool.
You can use pecans (halved or pieces, toasted or raw), slivered almonds, or walnuts.

Fill a sauté pan with nuts.
Toast them a little over low to medium heat.
Pour maple syrup over them and let them gently boil until thick.
While they cook, butter or oil a silpat mat or a piece of foil.
Turn the nuts onto the buttered surface and let them cool.
Try to keep them away from the kids so you have some for the next day.

These nuts are also really good on the banana cream pie.

Carmelized Leek Soup

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I’m passionate about leeks, so I love this soup. I used to always make potato leek soup. Then I was introduced to a darker, sweeter version, served with braised chard stems and whole toasted almonds. The whole thing was just yummy. But if you don’t have time to braise chard and toast almonds, just make the soup. It’s creamy and soothing.

4-5 leeks
1 T butter or olive oil, or a little of both
1 t salt
1 russet potato, peeled and chopped
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water

Trim the bottom off the leeks and split them in half to wash out any dirt, then slice them up to where the tops start to get dark green.

Sauté the leeks in the butter or oil. Add the salt and let them cook for awhile, partially covered, until they are soft and carmelized. This might take about 20 minutes. Add the potato, and sauté it for a few minutes with the leeks. Pour in the vegetable broth and water, and let the soup simmer for 30 minutes until the potato is soft. Transfer the soup to a blender in batches and blend until very creamy. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Dinner and Dessert Crêpes

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Crêpes are quick, and made to order, so everyone gets what they want. It’s the same batter for savory or sweet. We make them traditional, gluten-free, or paleo, and they are always good. The recipe is very forgiving, but the trick is to make sure the batter has the right consistency. When you ladle it onto the pan, it needs to be thin and swirl quickly. Flip it over as soon as the sides loosen up, add a pat of butter, and crack an egg right onto it. If you are in a hurry (and we usually are) break the yolk before you add the fillings. Sprinkle with a little cheese and a bit of ham. Fold it into a square, flip it over, and voila!

This is loosely based on a true Breton crêpe recipe, given to me by Béné.

Whisk together in a bowl:
1/3 cup buckwheat flour (can be omitted for paleo)
1 cup flour (I use a mix of almond meal, arrowroot, tapioca, rice, or gluten-free blends)
1 T coconut flour (omit if using wheat flour)
a pinch of salt

Make a well in the dry ingredients and stir in:
4 eggs
1 cup milk or coconut milk

Whisk until smooth, then add water to thin the batter. I never measure the water, but I think it’s around 1-2 cups. It’s always a bit more than I think.

Favorite fillings:
Egg, Ham and Cheese
Mushroom and Gruyère or Gorgonzola
Honey or Coconut Sugar with Lemon and Cinnamon
Nutella and Banana, or… if you prefer, Cacao Nibs with Banana
Don’t forget the whipped cream!

What IS for dinner, actually?

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Often I can’t remember what we had for dinner last night. Or the night before. Folks ask for ideas, and I draw a blank. I also seem to draw the same blank when I’m trying to think of what to have for dinner….tonight! So I thought it would be good to write some meals down. (Then maybe after a few weeks, I can just repeat the whole thing.)

This week was memorable because we just got a copy of Elana Amsterdam’s new cookbook, Paleo Cooking from Elana’s Pantry, and the meals were freshly inspired from her. The Chicken Marbella, Sesame Fish Sticks, and Biscuits can be found on her blog, Elana’s Pantry. Her Chicken Marbella is the Silver Palate Classic, simplified for a weeknight meal, and it’s just as good as ever!

For the 2nd week of December…..

Chicken Marbella
Roasted Butternut Squash
Favorite Kale Salad

Dinner and Dessert Crêpes
Salad

Sesame Fish Sticks
Steamed Broccoli Romanesco
Biscuits

Sweet Potato Soup
Salad

Sesame Cookies

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sesamecookies

Thanks to Elana’s Pantry. We LOVE these cookies. I’ve made them both grain-free and gluten-free.

Preheat the oven to 350 deg.

1-1/4 c almond flour or gluten-free flour mix
1/4 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
1/3 c agave or honey
1/3 c tahini
1T grapeseed oil
1T vanilla
1/4 c sesame seeds

Measure dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk together. Add the wet ingredients and stir well (I usually make these in the stand mixer). Form into balls and roll in sesame seeds. Bake for about 9 minutes. Wait until they cool a bit to remove them from the pan.