Cook’s County Cookbook Minestrone

Oh my gosh, this soup. This soup!

I mentioned the Complete Cook’s County TV Show Cookbook on my new Cookbook Club page last week, but I only recently delved into its meticulous pages to try a recipe. I’d followed Chris Kimball, the creator of America’s Test Kitchen, via his excellent Cooks Illustrated magazines in my mother’s kitchen. However, I was unfamiliar with the Cook’s County recipes until this fabulous book showed up under the tree. (Thanks, Mama THT!)

What to do? Why, try a recipe, of course! Hence, this absolutely unreal minestrone soup.

“So Earth-Friendly, Even a Vegan Will Eat It” Veggie Chili

Friends, as you know, I’m a fan of experimenting with vegetarian and vegan food. (Baking, more baking, pasta dishes, etc. )While I can’t say I’d go vegan for life (being engaged to a semi-carnivore makes that a bit complicated — love you, THT!), I’ve been working on incorporating a vegetarian diet more regularly into my life for the last 6 months or so. (See, this is what happens when you take a “blogging hiatus,” GKG. No one knows about these adventures! she said to herself…)

The verdict?

The Urge to Herbal: An Herb-Growing Update

My Herbs and I: A Complicated Love Story

Once upon a time — a couple of months ago, in fact — I tried my hand at growing a series of herb plants on the galley kitchen’s big windowsill. I’m a fan of growing and cooking with fresh herbs whenever it’s feasible (check out this post for more herbalicious ideas!), and with pots, seeds and soil in tow, I made my move.

Not Yo Mama’s Tofu: Marinated Tofu Stir-Fry

While I’ve tried my hand at tofu scrambles before, and I’ve also whipped up stir-fry dishes out the wazoo (where did that expression come from, anyway? If someone can enlighten me, 10 “Whose Line”-style bonus points to you!), I had yet to try my hand at a tofu stir-fry … until earlier this week! Here’s to trying something new, right?

Well … some of us still had questions. Namely, a certain meat-loving someone. 🙂

March “Make-It-From-Scratch” Madness: Almond Cranberry Granola Bars

Hi everyone! After a week’s vacation (to lovely Las Vegas, Nevada — post pending! It involves Celine Dion, drinks on the 64th floor, and taking a cab through the In-N-Out burger drive-through. This one’s gonna be epic, kids.), I’m back and ready to mangia with you! Here’s to my March Blogging Resolution: To recreate my favorite goodies and childhood dishes from scratch, with a healthy twist.

Today’s nominee? Granola Bars! I love a good, chewy, nutty granola bar as much as the next semi-healthy home cook. They’re great for mid-afternoon snacks to stave off my “hangry” episodes. (“Hangry” = hungry + angry. It ain’t pretty, folks.)

But I’ve noticed that a lot of commercial granola bars have … a LOT of sugar. Like, 20% of your daily value — whoa! And while I’m not jumping on the “Oh my gosh, not sugar: Isn’t it POISON???” bandwagon / train / other vehicle of transportation, I’m still aiming cut my consumption of the sweet stuff.

… which is why, on Pinterest and elsewhere, I’ve been hunting for homemade granola bar recipes. Why not try it? The worst that could happen might be … some really sticky granola. Oh well. There are worse tragedies in the world. (Like if Cool Ranch Doritos didn’t exist. Or lemons. *Shudder*)

These Almond Cranberry Granola Bars get their sweetness from honey, while the dried cranberries and chopped almonds add substance and a fruity tang. Yum! Enjoy them as much as I did — THT and I consumed that entire plate within about 48 hours.

Almond Cranberry Granola Bars — adapted from Andie Mitchel’s recipe at www.canyoustayfordinner.com. (Check out her blog — so inspiring and delicious!)

You’ll need:

• 2 cups old-fashioned oats (not instant)
• 1 cup chopped or sliced almonds
• 1 cup Rice Krispies or brown rice cereal
• 1 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped (you can also blend raisins and cranberries.)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup honey
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (kosher or table are both fine)

Here’s what you do:

• Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 13″×9″ baking pan with foil and spray liberally with Pam or other cooking spray.
• Toss the oats on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring once or twice, until browned. Remove the oats and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Stir in almonds, Rice Krispies & dried fruit. Reduce the oven temperature to 300° F.

• Combine the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla extract and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for about 1 minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon.

• Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Press the mixture firmly and evenly into the pan; you may need to wet your fingers slightly with water. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the bars appear to be golden brown. Cool for about 2 hours before cutting into individual bars.

Mmm! So chewy and good! Enjoy these bad boys, as hopefully the first of several March “Make-It-From-Scratch” Madness recipes and dishes. Have all y’all ever made your own granola or granola bars? How’d they turn out?

Meat-Free Fridays: 5 Vegetarian Pizza Pies

A pizza, by any other name, would smell … just as delicious. 🙂

For this week’s Meat-Free Friday, I’m starting the series with an old Lenten stand-by: Pizza! Pizza can easily be meatless — contrary to what any fan of a “Meat-Lover’s” pizza pie will tell you. While meaty toppings are often quite tasty, vegetarian pies on Fridays are such a great Lenten meal. Here are 5 Vegetarian Pizzas to try on a Friday.

Fun Fact: I’ll also throw in a BONUS recipe for whole grain dough that you can make at home. If you’re pursuing healthy eats in general, why not go whole hog (er, whole … vegetarian hog?) and try your own dough? Happy eating!

New GKG Feature: Meat-Free Meals for Lent!

[Totally irrelevant side note: Found Maria Carey’s entire 1995 “Daydream” album on Youtube this morning. Good Lord, do I love the Interwebs sometimes. I’ll be jamming to “Fantasy” and “One Sweet Day” for the next month or so, just so y’all know. 🙂 ]

For my friends of the Christian and Catholic varieties (or simply for those wondering why a few folks are walking around with dark spots on their foreheads?), today’s observance of Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent. While yesterday’s Mardi Gras was an opportunity to binge and go more than a little calorie-crazy (hello, paczkis that I ate en mass. NOM NOM NOM), Lent ushers in a time of penance, prayer and sacrifice. Even if you’re not particularly religious, a re-start on New Years Resolutions probably won’t hurt!

Rutabaga, What-a-baga, Sweet Potata: Maple Dijon-Roasted Root Veggies

I recently had lunch with two good friends and their adorable 2 year-old daughter. We were munching on dim sum at a local Chinese restaurant (fun fact: 2 year-olds are highly intrigued by food in bundles and traveling carts full of appetizers. Makes me feel like I’m doing a good job of appeasing my inner child, given that I love both of those things!), and the couple mentioned that they had recently joined a CSA.

For those who think that sounds like a New Deal program or a branch of the Secret Service, CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. When you join a CSA (which is regional, often organized through individual farms or your city / county), you essentially buy a weekly share in a local farm’s produce harvest for a given year. Your share supports the farmer’s work and livelihood, and it also results in you receiving a big ol’ delivery of whatever produce happens to be in season.

Pinterest Challenge: Gluten-Free Cauliflower Pizza Crust

It’s officially time for Sherry Petersik and Katie Bower’s Pinterest Challenge! While I’ve been soldiering on with recipes this year in the spirit of their challenges (such as this one, this one, and this one), I can now officially submit mine to the Petersik’s blog paradise. Hurrah! For the official Pinterest Challenge submission, I decided to tackle something that I’d seen repeatedly in the hallowed … pages (?) of the Pin: Flour-free Cauliflower Pizza Crust.

While I’m not vegan, nor am I gluten-free, I like exploring veggie-based meals for both environmental (fewer methane emissions? Woot.) and health (fewer calories + more nutrients? Dietary goodness FTW.) reasons. With more than a few friends and relatives with Celiac’s disease and other gluten struggles, I’ve explored gluten-free baking and cooking with mucho curiosity. And with pictures like this circulating on Pinterest, my interest was officially piqued:

Fancy Bakin’: Parmesan and Herb Focaccia (From Scratch!)

Know what’s surprisingly easy to whip up in your own kitchen, without spending hours slaving away? A one-woman Panera.

Allow me to explain: With just one simple, adaptable recipe (and a few pieces of helpful equipment), your apartment, house, efficiency, whatever, can smell like a European bakery filled with fresh, warm focaccia. Whether cut into wedges and served with soup, grilled with toppings as a flatbread pizza, or sliced and toasted to create the perfect panini, this bread is shockingly easy to make and even easier to eat.