Beet and Goat Cheese Ravioli with Parsley and Mint Pesto

(This is one of the dishes we served at the wonderful 2014 Project Green Fork Spring Supper on 6/1/14 at Southward Fare & Libations!)

This is a dish we make for company or the family on special occasions. The bright and earthy pasta contrasts with the vibrant, green pesto -- both on the plate and on the palate. It's a dish that screams 'spring!' by making use of the fresh herbs, eggs, and beets that start to appear at the market in April. 

We don't write much about filled pastas like ravioli because they're pretty time consuming to make, and also because we're self-aware enough to know we may have a reputation for not having the simplest recipes in the world. (A common observation from some readers we meet: "So, y'all don't have kids, do you?") We'd hate to further bolster that notion about our sometimes-complicated-but-hopefully-worth-it food by asking you to put down what you're doing and make not only the filling of this ravioli from scratch, but also the pasta and the pesto sauce that accompanies it…but, hey, here we go. Just humor us and come along and see what you think. 

To be honest, we find this process relaxing, and possibly you will, too, just probably not the very first time you try to make ravioli. It takes about four good tries before things really start to come together, but you do learn more with each go at it. It's best to think about ravioli making as several little steps raher than one giant leap. Make the filling, make the pasta, fill the pasta, make the sauce, serve. See, it's simple!

You will need some special equipment. We use the food processor a lot in the kitchen. If you don't already have one, get one! You'll also need a pasta roller. We have one that attaches to the stand mixer. It's much easier than a hand-crank, but one of those will do just fine. Lastly, you'll need a fluted pastry wheel. This is the thing that you'll use to cut the pasta. The fluted shape helps to seal the ravioli so they don't unravel in the water as they cook. 

Let's go on and get started, but before we begin, place a head of garlic and 4 medium beets in a covered casserole and drizzle this with olive oil. Place into a 350 degree oven for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the beets are cooked through. Allow everything to cool. You'll need these things later on. If you don't have the patience for that, just pick up some good quality canned beets and some roasted garlic from the olive bar.

For the goat cheese filling:
10.5 ounces goat cheese
1 head roasted garlic (peeled)
1 large egg
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
4 sprigs of thyme
1/2 teaspoon champagne vinegar
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper (to taste)

In the work bowl of your food processor, place the cheese, garlic, egg, panko, thyme, and vinegar. Pulse until all ingredients are well incorporated. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Scrape into a covered container and place in the fridge until needed. Rinse the food processor in order to use it for the next step.

For the beet pasta:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup peeled, chopped, roasted beet (about 1 medium)
1 large egg
about 3 tablespoons water

Into the work bowl of your food processor, place the flour and beets. Let it run until the roasted beet is completely blended into the flour. The result will look like magenta sand. Add the egg and blend. With the food processor running, add the water one tablespoon at a time until the dough forms a ball and runs around the container all clumped together; you'll know when this happens. Gather the ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and place it into the fridge to rest. Rinse the food processor in order to use it for the next step.

For the pesto:
1 large bunch fresh parsley (long stems removed, about 2 cups)
1 bunch fresh mint (about 1 cup)
1 clove garlic
1 cup toasted hazelnuts (skins rubbed off)
Juice 1 lemon
1/2 cup olive oil
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper (to taste)

Into the work bowl of your food processor place the parsley, mint, garlic, hazelnuts, lemon juice, and olive oil. Pulse until everything is broken down but still chunky. Set aside until ready to assemble the dish.

To assemble the ravioli. Roll the pasta out starting at a #1 and working your way down to a #5 on your pasta roller. (Cut pasta to fit your well-floured work surface if it gets too long.) You should end up with about four 3-foot sections of pasta dough. Using a small ice cream scoop or a spoon, place about a teaspoon of filling on one half of the large pasta sheet. Leaving about the width of two fingers between each, continue to do this down the length of the pasta. Fold the side that's without filling longways over the filling and press the pasta all around the filling using the sides of your hands. Using the fluted pastry wheel, cut the front edge off of the pasta and run it in between each lump of filling. The hinged side should be left as is. This will make about 30 large ravioli.

In batches of 10, drop ravioli into a pot of well-salted water for about 2 minutes. Using a strainer, retrieve them from the water and toss in a large bowl with a teaspoon of olive oil to keep them from sticking together. Serve on a large platter garnished with the remaining beets and the pesto. (Serves 6 to 8.)

Olive-Bar Puttanesca with Cauliflower Chops

(This is one of the dishes we served at the wonderful 2014 Project Green Fork Spring Supper on 6/1/14 at Southward Fare & Libations!)

I love the olive bar. It just may be my favorite part of the whole entire grocery store. I really can't think of one item on it that I don't love, so it's natural that I'm so into this sauce. It's comprised of all the amazing things found on the olive bar and is in the style of a spicy puttanesca sauce. (We've played around with the same idea before for pasta and flatbread; this new recipe is a good low-carb option.)

Grab a quart container at the end of the olive bar and start filling that sucker up. First thing to remember is that you want to get the pitted olives for this dish. I don't mind a little work in the kitchen, but there is no need to put yourself through pitting a half-quart of olives when there are perfectly good pitted olives sitting right there. Second thing is to buy the olives you like. I prefer a mix of spicy calamata and large green Greek olives. You get what you like. 

Next, throw in a bunch of those awesome sweet pickled peppers. This will help add balance to your sauce. Lastly, top it off with a a dozen or so of the roasted garlic cloves that are always on the olive bar. You should have about a half quart of olives and about a half quart of peppers, garlic, and anything else you see that looks good. Don't cram it full, though; it should be lightly packed.

This puttanesca sauce is chunky and textured. I like it like that! We serve it over Cauliflower Chops, which are just big hunks of cauliflower roasted in the oven. The stem sticks out like a bone-in pork chop  so visually it's pretty cool. This sauce is also at home as a pizza sauce or over some penne pasta. It's very flavorful, so leave it as is or top it with Romano, herbs, and pine nuts if you like. 

Olive-Bar Puttanesca with Cauliflower Chops

Cauliflower Chops (recipe follows)
2 medium carrots
2 medium ribs of celery
2 medium shallot
1 quart mix of spicy olives, sweet peppers, roasted garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
1 teaspoon salt-packed capers (rinsed)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 large can organic fire-roasted diced tomatoes

Using the slicing blade on the food processor, slice the carrots, celery, and shallots and  set aside. Next, using the same blade, slice all of the stuff from the olive bar: pitted olives, sweet peppers, roasted garlic. Set that aside in a separate bowl.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil. Once that starts to shimmer, add the carrot, celery, shallot mixture. Cook until softened and starting to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the wine and cook until most of the mine has evaporated. Add the sliced olive bar mixture along with the capers, Italian seasoning, and the tomatoes. Cook, uncovered, until everything is warmed through. There is no need to salt this sauce due to the salt content of the olives and capers.

Serve Cauliflower Chops family-style on a large platter smothered in Olive-Bar Puttanesca. (Serves 8.) 



Cauliflower Chops

2 large heads cauliflower
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper (to taste)

Carefully trim the leaves away from the stem of each cauliflower but leave the stem intact. Quarter each cauliflower starting at the stem so you are left with 4 wedges from each for a totl of 8. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. 

In a small bowl, combine the olive oil and sherry and balsamic vinegars. Brush each cauliflower liberally with the mixture. Place cauliflower into a cold oven and set the temperature to 425 degrees. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until tender; be sure to flip the cauliflower halfway through the cooking time. (Serves 8.)

5 Quick Questions With Margot McNeeley of Project Green Fork

Just imagine all the things you and your high school friends fought for in the Environmental Club suddenly coming true in real, adult life. That's what Project Green Fork does! Instead of banning styrofoam cups from the cafeteria like you used to dream about, they help green-up your favorite restaurants. PGF Executive Director Margot McNeeley will tell you more about that in our Q & A below. 

We want to tell you about a very exciting event coming up! We are so thrilled to cook dinner for you at the 2014 Project Green Fork Spring Supper on Sunday, June 1st at Southward Fare & Libations (in the Regalia shopping center in East Memphis) along with the amazing chefs from Sweetgrass, Tsunami, Edible Memphis, and Buon Cibo. The proceeds will benefit one of our favorite local environmental groups, Project Green Fork. The dinner will be served family-style outside of Southward in the courtyard. There will be some really great food. Let me tell you, the menu came together so nicely. I don't want to spoil the surprise…let's just say it'll be a meal to remember! 

There will be plenty to eat for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike, so to all you vegetarian friends, this is your chance to go to an amazing dinner and eat more than the plate garnish. You also have the satisfaction of supporting an organization that's making Memphis a cleaner and greener place. You can feel good -- and feel full!

1. TCV: For our readers who may be unfamiliar with Project Green Fork’s mission, describe it and tell us why it’s a job that's so near to your heart.

MM: As a big fan of Memphis's locally owned and operated restaurants, I got tired of seeing all the trash that was generated from a restaurant meal, and I felt guilty to be contributing to that trash. And it made me curious about why restaurants weren't recycling. When I found out that the City of Memphis doesn't recycle for businesses, I decided to do something about it. 

Project Green Fork (PGF) was founded in 2008 with the goal of helping Mid-South restaurants reduce environmental impacts with a strong focus on strengthening homegrown restaurants. To date, our 59 certified restaurants have kept all of this out of the landfill: 1,815,880 gallons of plastic, glass and aluminum; 1,634,792 pounds of cardboard and paper; and 222,857 gallons of food waste.

2. TCV: You must have some good stories from previous Spring Suppers, Project Green Fork’s largest fundraiser. Are there any fun stories you can share with us?

MM: Our first Spring Supper was in 2009 and held at Tsunami. As a small nonprofit, our budget was, and really still is, super small and was even smaller back in 2009. Trying to save money, I asked a group of very good friends to help out and serve the courses as Chef Ben Smith prepared them. While serving the third course, sweet potato and lemongrass soup, one of these good-willed friends spilled the entire bowl down our PGF attorney's back. Of course, he was a good sport about it…but that friend never waited tables again. We decided having professional servers during Spring Supper is a good and necessary investment. 

3. TCV: We are excited to be cooking with some of Memphis’s finest chefs: Ben Smith of Tsunami, Ryan Trimm of Sweet Grass/Next Door and Southward, Melissa Petersen of Edible Memphis, and Katie Belenchia of Buon Cibo in Hernando, MS. How did you decide on the Spring Supper team, and what do each of these folks bring to the table? 

MM: I always try to include at least one PGF certified restaurant that hasn't participated in Spring Supper before, and we always aim for a new theme. We also like including people who may not cook in a restaurant but are involved in the Memphis food scene and know how to cook really well. A big part of this supper is using as much locally grown food as possible, so it’s also important to put together a group of chefs who work with local farmers on a regular basis. 

When I started thinking about hosting a pescatarian and vegetarian supper, the list of possible participants organically evolved. Chef and PGF Board member Ryan Trimm was gracious enough to offer the outdoor space at Southward for the event and being a big fan of his cooking, I knew whatever he decided to contribute to the meal was going to be amazing. Melissa Petersen, another PGF Board member, offered to help Ryan in the kitchen. Melissa has cooked for PGF Spring Suppers before and is not only a great cook but also a huge help organizing all the moving pieces happening in the kitchen.  I knew she needed to be involved again.

Chef extraordinaire, Ben Smith of Tsunami, was who we all thought of first to ask for the fish portion of the meal and the masters of creating and cooking vegetarian, Justin and Amy, were our first choices for the vegetarian part. Melissa has been telling me about the amazing desserts created by Katie Belenchia of Buon Cibo for some time now, so we asked her to create a special dessert for the supper.  

4. TCV: For those who are interested, what can people do to get involved in Project Green Fork?

MM:We rarely get funding from grants and not much in the area of donations. How we survive and continue to do the work we do is through our fundraisers. If you like the work we do and you like to eat really great and creatively prepared food with a group of cool people, buy a ticket to our 6th Annual Spring Supper: 
             
            http://projectgreenfork.org/6th-annual-spring-supper

5. TCV: It’s a Tuesday night, nothing special, and it’s just you and Gary, what are y'all cooking?

MM: My husband and I love trying new recipes from our favorite vegan and vegetarian cookbooks: The Southern Vegetarian, Let Them Eat Vegan! and Isa Does It. My new favorite vegetarian food find, is Magic Vegan Bacon Grease (thanks, Bianca!). We've been cooking with this for the past couple weeks and can't get enough of it.  The other night we used it in making mushroom-nut burgers over greens with avocado. Always avocado, wherever and whenever possible.  It's for sure my "stuck-on-a-desert-island-with-only-one-food-item.” That and coconut, in any form. 

Watch Amy on P. Allen Smith's Garden Style

This video was a huge highlight of last summer: getting to cook at our house with the nicest guy,
P. Allen Smith. Last June, we made mushroom meat for tamales in the kitchen and then put together a grilled watermelon salad outside. Check it out in the video below!

Now we're thrilled to be working on another fun project, a garden to table challenge, with Allen; we've chosen a whole bunch of Bonnie Plants, put them in one container, and then we're going to make a meal out of what we grow. Can't wait to see the results…

Post by P. Allen Smith.

Charred Carrot Hotdogs

Click HERE to order our new cookbook, The Chubby Vegetarian: 100 Inspired Vegetable Recipes for the Modern Table (Susan Schadt Press, November 2016). The recipe below is featured in the book!


'Char' is one of those buzzwords that's popping up on a lot of menus these days. It's understandable! Charring something is quite exciting. The act of intentionally burning food…whyever would someone do that? It's more common than you'd think -- even outside the confines of a fancy-pants restaurant kitchen. Take roasted red peppers, for example: charring the outside of the pepper renders a pliable, sweet, smoky, and delicious treat. So, why stop there? We need to be charring some other things, too, right?

What would we do with charred carrots? we asked ourselves. The answer came when we spied some overgrown organic carrots in the produce section of Whole Foods: gotta be a hot dog. Once we tried it, we were hooked. The texture of the carrot is smooth and meaty, and the smoky sweetness is pronounced. All we add is salt, pepper, and touch of sesame oil. It's simple and perfect…no packaging
required.

Top these dogs however you'd like: chili and cheddar with chopped white onion, or mustard and sauerkraut, or ketchup and pickle relish. Make a bunch and invite some friends over. The weather is getting warmer, everyone seems lighter and happier, and we're thinking this recipe is our first in a series of the great, healthy, summer party food.

Charred Carrot Hotdogs

6 very large carrots*
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper (to taste)
6 whole wheat or gluten-free hot dog buns
vegetarian chili, cheddar, chopped onion, sauerkraut, pickles, ketchup, spicy mustard (to serve)

Over a high flame on your outdoor grill's side burner or under your oven's broiler, char the carrots until they are deeply blackened all over. This will take roughly 20 minutes if you turn the carrots 1/4 turn every 5 minutes. Once they are sufficiently blackened, remove them and wrap them tightly in aluminum foil. Allow the carried carrots to rest for 15 minutes. They will finish cooking through during that time, and the smoke flavor will infuse throughout.

If they are cool enough to handle, pull the char off of each carrot just like you would for a roasted red pepper. Drizzle the carrots with sesame oil and add salt and pepper to taste. Feel free to warm them up on the grill if you'd like; serve them on a bun with your favorite toppings. (Serves 4-6.)

*Look for the carrots that are about as big around as a half-dollar and have very little taper to them. The biggest carrots you can find are what's going to work best here. They shrink slightly during the cooking process, and then you pull off the charred part, so they will be smaller once it comes time to eat.

Simon Majumdar's Red Lentil Dahl (Life Saving Dahl)

Simon Majumdar's dahl recipe can't be beat! We served it atop red rice with mint leaves and yogurt. For the story behind the dish, see the 5 Quick Questions post below.

Simon Majumdar's Red Lentil Dahl (Life Saving Dahl)

2 inches fresh ginger

4 cloves garlic

3 fresh green chilies (or to taste)

2 tablespoons oil 

2 cardamom pods

2 cloves

1 cinnamon stick

1 white onion (sliced)

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon powdered ginger

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon coriander seed

1 teaspoon hot chili powder (or to taste)

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup of red lentils (I toast these first in a dry pan, using my fingers to stir, and when it is too hot to touch, it is done. This gives a nutty flavor to the lentils.)

1 1/2 pints of water or vegetable stock

1 lemon (chopped into eighths)

1 bag of spinach

4 hard boiled eggs

Make a paste by blending the ginger and garlic with a little salt and water. Finely mince the fresh chili. Put 2 tablespoons of oil into a hot pan, and when it comes to heat, add the cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon stick. Cook for 1 minute on a low heat until the spices release their flavor. Add the onion and cook on a low heat until it begins to soften and turn golden. Don't rush this as you want the natural sweetness of the onions to be released. Add the ginger/garlic paste and cook for 2 to 4 minutes until it loses its rawness. Add the minced chilies and cook for four minutes. Add the ground spices, sugar, and salt and mix well with the onions and cook out for 4 minutes until the spices lose their rawness. If the mixture begins to stick, add a little water. Add the lentils and mix well so all the pulses are covered with the mixture. Add 1 1/2 pints of water/stock and the lemons pieces. 

Simmer for 30 minutes until the lentils have broken down. (Add more water if it sticks to the pan; sone lentils may take a little longer.) If you like the dahl to be more chunky, leave as it is, but I sometimes whisk it gently to break the lentils down even further. Add the spinach, cover and allow to wilt into the lentils. The end result is quite a watery dahl which is great served over a hard boiled egg. (Serves 4.) 

5 Quick Questions with Simon Majumdar

Food Network host and author Simon Majumdar and I first met last August in Las Vegas outside the Kitchen Arena that was set up as the battleground for the World Food Championships: The Ultimate Food Fight. My buddy Ben Vaughn introduced us, and I handed Simon a copy of our cookbook, The Southern Vegetarian. We immediately started talking food. He told me that since his family is from India, vegetarian meals were not uncommon. Life Saving Dahl, he told me, was his favorite. He was kind enough to share the recipe with The Chubby Vegetarian -- check back here tomorrow for this amazing recipe!

Simon Majumdar, Ben Vaughn, and Justin Fox Burks at the World Food Championships in 2013.

Cooking this dish taught me so much about how to achieve the deep and complex flavors of traditional Indian cooking that elevate simple ingredients like lentils and onions and result in a complex, wonderful dish. One of the many takeaways for me was the use of a lemon cut into eighths and tossed into the stew in order to add acidity. I'll be using that trick again and again. 

A big thanks to Simon for sharing the recipe and answering our questions.   

1. TCV: I so enjoyed talking with you at the World Food Championship last year! You told me about your favorite vegetarian recipe, Life Saving Dahl. So, what's the origin of that recipe? [BTW, we made it, and it's amazing! Readers, it'll be up tomorrow as a new recipe post on TCV. You've got to try it!] 

Simon: This is very much a family dish. My Bengali great aunt (who was closer to me than my own grandmother and who I called 'grandmother') taught me how to pre-toast the red lentils in a dry pan, stirring with my fingers. She claimed it added a nutty flavor to the red lentils and helped them absorb more flavors from the spices. I am not sure if that is true or not, but it is a very comforting process, and I cannot make the dish without doing it now.  It just wouldn't seem right. It is our family's go-to comfort dish, our chicken soup. I make it any time that both body and soul need nourishing. I have even got my wife addicted to it now, and she requests I make it every time she is feeling under the weather.

2. TCV: It's a Tuesday night and you're at home just hanging out. There's no one around to impress. What are you cooking?

Simon: I know this is a vegetarian blog, but my ultimate comfort meal is just a simple roast chicken. I always spatchcock mine and roast in a cast-iron skillet over a bed of chopped onions. The onions confit in the chicken fat and the whole surface of the bird becomes crisp. I usually make my own roast garlic mayonnaise to accompany it and eat the chicken with my hands, tearing bits of flesh off to dip in the mayo.  

3. TCV: I made a lot of changes after I lost my mother in 2008. Mainly, I improved my quality of life by losing 75 pounds and running marathons. You cite the same cause as a reason for shaking things up in your own life. What one piece of advice would you give to someone who wants to make a big change for the better?

Simon: My advice is to follow the thing that you are most passionate about. Food has always been my obsession, and I quit my job in publishing 2006 to go around the world and eat.  It changed my life and my career. I know that not everyone has the time, money, or inclination to do something that drastic, but I do believe that if you set yourself stretching challenges, great rewards will come.  It could be, like you, losing weight.  It could be to cook more food at home, or it could be to travel or study.  My only request is that you don't play at it.  Make a goal and go for it. 

Just in case you are wondering about my next goal…I turned 50 last week and have set myself a challenge of appearing in a masters body building competition in 2015. It's going to be tough, but I am determined to give it my best shot.

4.TCV: What ingredient or technique has your undivided interest right now?

Simon: I am really fascinated by old-school techniques and dishes right now. I think a lot of them became classics for a reason and have been sadly forgotten. I don't get to spend half as much time in my kitchen as I would like, but when I do, I love to play around with the classic old recipes like Lobster Newburg or Steak Diane.

5. TCV: From your travels to your books to your work on Cutthroat Kitchen, Iron Chef America, The Next Iron Chef, Extreme Chef, The Best Thing I Ever Ate, and many other Food Network shows, you have experience with a whole lot of food, to say the least. So, what makes a dish memorable for you?

Simon: There are so many elements to a great dish. Terrific ingredients, of course, particularly when coupled with impeccable technique that lets those ingredients shine.  As well as all of these, of course, there is context. Does a hot dog ever taste better than at a ball game? Does a cold beer ever taste better than at a summer's day picnic? I have been traveling around the world for the last few months, and I am certain that the great meals I had were made even better by eating them in the places I visited and with the people I met.

Spicy Cocoa Almonds

We all know it's good to have a handful of almonds each day; before you get that virtuous, try them this way for a little devilishness that'll kickstart your future super-healthy habits. We've been obsessed with dressed-up almonds ever since our sister-in-law Bianca made sugar and spice almonds for everyone as Christmas gifts. Then we remembered a co-worker sharing some cocoa-dusted almonds one day during the 10 o'clock snack break. So many memories…we had to try making some good almonds ourselves! There have been some very annoying trial and error moments along the way, so here's to you learning from our failures! We found out some important stuff while borrowing from the two aforementioned recipes and then making up our own:

- Don't set the oven above 300 degrees. You think you're being so smart and making things quicker, and you end up burning every last almond. (Pathetic. Like throwing away five bucks.)

- The coating can easily be too wet. It seems crazy for a recipe to call for half an egg white, but unless you aim to double it and make 5 cups of almonds, just go with it.

- Toss the almonds for 10 minutes in a skillet heated to medium on the stovetop before  toasting them up in the oven. It's less messy overall.

- Skip the 1/4 cup of light brown sugar listed below and just use honey if that's your preference right now.

- Add a little powdered sugar to the cocoa (much more palatable and less bitter that way).

Spicy Cocoa Almonds

1/2 an egg white
1 teaspoon water
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 1/2 cups raw almonds
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cayenne (halve or omit, to taste)
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/2 teaspoon ancho chili powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
cracked black pepper (about 5 turns of the mill)
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Whisk the egg white fast until it almost comes together like meringue. Add water and whisk again. Stir in the honey, light brown sugar, and mix well. Add the almonds and stir them to coat. Sprinkle in the cinnamon, cayenne, ginger, ancho chili, smoked paprika, and salt and pepper and stir to coat the almonds. Now heat butter in a medium pan on medium heat. When it melts, pour in the almond mixture. Stir constantly and watch over the almonds for 10 minutes or until they are sticking to the spatula and no liquid remains in the skillet. Transfer almonds in a single layer onto a parchment-paper lined, rimmed baking sheet. Place in the oven for twenty minutes and them remove them and stir them around. Bake for another 20 minutes. Remove from the baking sheet and let them cool on a plate or two. For cocoa almonds (they're less sticky than just leaving them plain), place half the almonds along with the cocoa and powered sugar into a bag or lidded container and shake to coat.

Anjou Pear, Mandarin Orange, and Ginger Bread (& Simple Pear-Orange Butter)

We love making banana muffins or banana bread for people who need a little sweetness in a tough time. A tangible and quick response feels right, and having a go-to recipe or two on hand is nice.  Banana bread is something pretty much everyone likes and has good memories of, and on the practical side, we always have the ingredients for it on hand.

We don't tend to eat a lot of 'real' bread these days (unless we're out to dinner here or here -- then trying the amazing bread and butter is absolutely necessary). Recently, we've been modifying old TCV recipes to make them lean more toward being either Paleo or gluten-free. Looking for a new challenge this week, we started working on pear bread. At times, pears seem to be kind of an overlooked fruit, don't they? They're so mild and innocuous but still so good! We wanted to showcase them in something new besides a crumble, tart, or salad. Making our Simple Orange Pear Butter first gives you something good to have for breakfast on top of oatmeal or toast -- and then you can use up the rest in the bread recipe below.


Anjou Pear, Orange, and Ginger Bread

1 1/2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 Anjou pears (peeled, finely diced)
Juice from 3 mandarin oranges (about 2-3 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs (beaten)
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup Simple Pear-Orange Butter (recipe follows; can substitute apple butter)
Zest from 1 large orange
1 tablespoon crystallized ginger (minced)
1 tablespoon olive oil margarine
sea salt, brown sugar, and powdered ginger (optional; for topping)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together the flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, ginger, and salt and set aside. Combine the pears, orange juice, and vanilla and set aside.Whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, oil, Simple Pear-Orange Butter, orange zest, and crystallized ginger. Add the flour mixture and the pear mixture to the previous wet ingredients and mix. Pour batter into a bread pan that's been lined with parchment paper. Dot the top with pieces of olive oil margarine and, if you like, sprinkle the top with a little seat salt, brown sugar, and ginger. Bake for 60 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a knife inserted into the middle of the bread comes out clean. Allow bread to cool before slicing and serving.


Simple Pear-Orange Butter

3 ripe Anjou pears (peeled, diced)
1 Pink Lady apple (peeled, diced)
juice from 1 mandarin orange
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon honey
a pinch or two of sea salt

Put pears, apple, orange juice, cinnamon, honey, and salt in a medium saucepan. Simmer on medium-low for about 30 minutes or until the fruit is tender and sauce has reduced by half. Set aside to cool. When the pear butter is cool, blend it until its consistency is very smooth. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Antioxidant Super Hummus with Red Beans and Pecans

The word 'cancer' sounds completely different when it's used to describe someone close to you. It echoes in a way that never really fully dissipates until the word is again uttered and the echo starts over again. 

Regular readers of our Facebook page have figured out by now that my dad, Graham Burks Sr., has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Thankfully, he qualified for Whipple surgery, which he had a few weeks ago. Now he's recovering from that before starting chemotherapy next month. This, needless to say, has us all a bit shaken, but it has done something else as well.  It has us resolute and willing to fight.

In addition to the regular doctor-prescribed treatments, we are arming ourselves for a food fight. Not the kind you had in grade school that started when someone lobbed a greasy hash brown across the cafeteria, but the kind of food fight that starts with knowledge and understanding and then yields some truly healthy dishes that nourish the body and help to fight cancer from the inside out.

With this hummus, we are focusing on antioxidants. According to The National Cancer Institute, "Antioxidants are chemicals that block the activity of other chemicals known as free radicals. Free radicals are highly reactive and have the potential to cause damage to cells, including damage that may lead to cancer."

So we have loaded this with some of the top-performing antioxidant foods (according to WebMD) like red beans and pecans and paired them with some of the most potent antioxidant spices (according to Science Daily). The kicker is that it tastes great and is similar to a warm curry mixture like masala because of the cinnamon. 

All right, Dad: let's fight this together. 

Antioxidant Super Hummus with Red Beans and Pecans

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon sumac
1/2 cup toasted pecans
1 can red beans (drained)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Kosher salt (to taste)

In a small frying pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil and add the garlic, cinnamon, turmeric, and sumac. Cook until the rawness is gone from the spices and the garlic has softened. Into the work bowl of your food processor, add the oil and spice mixture from the frying pan, pecans, red beans, and lemon juice. Blend until smooth. Add salt to taste and blend until incorporated.

Serve with sliced zucchini, cucumber, or pita chips. Alternately, spread it onto a soft pita bread and top with lettuce, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, and feta. (Serves 4 as an appetizer or 2 as a sandwich spread.)

Pulled BBQ Spaghetti Squash

This is a continuation of our grilled spaghetti squash fascination. We love the stuff. This came about after some leftover Spaghetti Squash Ribs were chopped up and piled up high on a waffle for a super-quick lunch the other day. Loved it so much we just had to share it with you.

This is reminiscent of the ubiquitous BBQ jackfruit recipes that are out there on the internet, but it uses a readily available fresh product instead of a canned one. The texture is just perfect!  In addition, the hot grill adds that indescribable smoky awesomeness that BBQ needs.

Give this a shot! It's so easy, and we think everyone will love it.

Pulled BBQ Spaghetti Squash

1 medium spaghetti squash
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon TCV Memphis Dry Rub
1 cup BBQ sauce (warmed)

Preheat your outdoor grill to high. Using a serrated peeler or a sharp knife (and plenty of caution!), peel the squash. Cut the squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Cut into 1/2-inch slices and discard the ends. On a large sheet pan, toss sliced squash with the canola and sesame oil and then the dry rub until it's well coated.

Grill slices of squash for 4 to 5 minutes per side or until cooked through and well-marked by the grill.

Remove the squash and place it on a cutting board; allow it to rest for 5 minutes. Roughly chop the squash into about 1-inch pieces. Toss with the BBQ sauce and pulling some of the chopped pieces apart as you go. 

Serve more sauce on the side and some Purple Cabbage Slaw on soft white bread or on top of a cornbread waffle. (Serves 2 as a main dish or 4 as an appetizer.)

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

Inspired by the 3-ingredient peanut butter cookie recipe that's all over the internet, these take a bit more effort, but not that much more. They'll solve that annoying problem of too many jars of half-gone nut butters in the fridge -- any mix of different kinds works well.

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

1 1/4 cup peanut butter (or cashew, almond, or sunflower butter)
2 eggs
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder (like Rumford)
1 tablespoon gluten-free flour
dark chocolate Hershey kisses (optional)

Microwave the nut butter for a minute to melt it. Set aside. Beat the eggs and then whisk in the brown sugar, honey, and vanilla. Combine this mixture with the nut butter and whisk it all together. Add 1/2 cup almond flour, salt, and baking powder and stir to combine. Chill the cookie dough in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a small spring-loaded ice-cream scoop to portion out the cookies; next, score the middle of each cookie with a fork dipped in all-purpose flour -- or really go old-school and press chocolates into the middle. Bake for 10 minutes. (Makes 2 dozen medium-sized cookies.)

Smoky Sriracha

Sriracha, that now-ubiquitous spicy red sauce with the rooster on the bottle, is one of our all-time favorite things. We use it in our spicy peanut sauce, on grilled corn, in soups, stews, and curries. Really, we just drizzle it on anything that needs a little flavor boost, even at breakfast! Why is this stuff so good? It hits hard on many fronts: it's salty, spicy, a little acidic, and a little sweet. In other words, it's nearly perfect. So, we messed with it, of course. Rather than add sugar, we roasted the red jalapeños to bring out their own natural sweetness. This process also adds a nice bit of smokiness, which really ups the ante by adding an additional note to traditional sriracha sauce's symphony of flavor.

This sauce is really simple to make, and the ingredients aren't hard to find. If red jalapeños aren't available -- I usually find them at the Asian market -- you can make a sauce that's just as delicious using green ones. The xanthan gum is totally optional. All it does it keep the sauce from separating in the fridge. If you don't add it, just stir it up before each use.

Smoky Sriracha

8 cups red jalapeño peppers
1/2 cup peeled garlic cloves
1/2 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (optional)

Over a fire or under your oven's broiler, roast the red jalapeños until blackened just as you would do if you were roasting a red bell pepper. Place roasted red jalapeños and the raw garlic cloves into a covered container and allow them to cool. Once it's all cool enough to handle, use a pair of kitchen shears to trim off the stem and discard. Into the blender or food processor, place the trimmed jalapeños (blackened skin and all), garlic, vinegar, salt, and optional xanthan gum and blend until smooth. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge. (Makes 2 cups.)

Spaghetti Squash Ribs

The texture of oven-roasted spaghetti squash has always bothered me a little bit. It's softer than spaghetti and always a little watery. I was pondering other ways to handle this vegetable when it hit me. The way it pulls apart -- okay, humor me here -- seems similar to a brisket or pork shoulder. I started to wonder what it would be like grilled and slathered with BBQ sauce. It's not an uncommon thing for this particular BBQ-loving Southerner to ponder. 

So, how was it? The answer is awesome…just awesome. 

We're calling them ribs for a variety of reasons: they're the same shape as little rib bones; it's fun to pick them up and eat them with your hands; and it's a messy good time. Seriously, this would be a fun thing to throw on the table at a party or to serve as a main dish at a picnic. People are always asking us what to serve vegetarians at a cookout. Here's a pretty cool answer.

Spaghetti Squash Ribs

1 medium spaghetti squash
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon TCV Memphis Dry Rub
1 cup BBQ sauce (warmed)

Preheat your outdoor grill to high. Using a serrated peeler or a sharp knife and plenty of caution, peel the squash. Cut the squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Cut into 1/2-inch slices and discard the ends. On a large sheet pan, toss sliced squash with the canola and sesame oil and then the dry rub until it's well coated.

Grill slices of squash for 4 to 5 minutes per side or until cooked through and well-marked by the grill. Arrange slices of squash on a plate and brush with BBQ sauce. Serve more sauce on the side for dipping and some Purple Cabbage Slaw. (Serves 2 as a main dish or 4 as an appetizer.)

Espresso Chocolate Chunk Bars

Chocolate chocolate chocolate, where is the chocolate runs like a cheetah through my mind most days. This is not a unique opinion, but really, there is something wrong with a day without
chocolate -- straight up chocolate, plain. I just don't want any interference.

However, chocolate chip cookies are the exception. I love this whole grain chocolate chip cookie recipe, and I grew up using the recipe on the back of the chocolate chip bag, but this bar recipe is something different. We have been dying to make this type of just-a-vehicle-for-the-chocolate dessert a bit healthier, less traditional, and easier to digest. We have been baking differently this year, and we are so excited to share this new way with you. Now go find some chocolate for these.

Espresso Chocolate Chip Bars

1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup coconut flour
2 teaspoons espresso powder
1/2 heaping teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup pecans (food processed)
2 eggs
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup coconut oil (melted)
1 tablespoon vanilla
2/3 cup dark chocolate chunks
1/2 cup walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together the almond meal, coconut flour, espresso powder, salt, and processed pecans. Set aside. Whisk together the eggs, agave, coconut oil, and vanilla. Stir the dry and wet ingredients together and then add the chocolate chunks and walnuts. Line a 9 x 9 pan with parchment -- some of it should overlapping the sides for handles when you remove the cookie. Spread mixture into pan and bake for 15-20 minutes until browned around the edges. Remove from oven and let it cool before cutting into about 12 bars. (These taste even better when stored in the fridge after cooling.)

Plantain Tortillas (Gluten-Free, Paleo, Vegan)

These plantain tortillas have so much to offer to those looking for a good, simple, healthy replacement for standard flour or corn tortillas. This is it! We actually made a version of them back in 2010 just for fun. This was way before we knew anything about gluten-free or paleo diets. Now, though we are not strict on either of those fronts, we do appreciate the challenges that people who chose to or have to follow a specific diet may face. We love to come up with easy, do-able solutions for you.

This is so simple. If you've ever made your own homemade tortillas, you are halfway there. The two secrets here are using ripe plantains, which look a little like large rotten bananas, and using the paddle attachment of a stand mixer to mash them rather than just blending them. Once you have the mashed plantains, you use them just like any masa or flour tortilla dough.

The best part is that they act just like flour tortillas. You can bend them and stuff them like a taco or roll them up for enchiladas. You'll really love their lightly sweet taste.

Plantain Tortillas

2 ripe plantains (peeled, roughly chopped, about 1 3/4 cups)
1/4 cup water
Kosher salt (to taste)
1/2 teaspoon olive oil

Place plantains, water, and salt into a covered, microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 2 minutes. Allow the plantains to rest, covered, for another 2 minutes. The plantains should be soft. Add the plantains to the work bowl of your mixer with the paddle attachment in place. Beat for 3 minutes or until all the lumps have disappeared. Gather the beaten plantains into a ball.

Preheat a non-stick frying pan to medium-low. Take a 15-inch sheet of parchment and fold it n half. Brush the inside with the olive oil to keep the plantain mixture from sticking. Line your open tortilla press with oiled parchment. Using a large ice-cream scoop, scoop 1/4 cup of the plantain mixture onto the parchment, fold the parchment over it, and use the press to gently flatten it to about 5 inches. Alternately, you may use a rolling pin to flatten it between the parchment.

Carefully remove flattened plantain and place into the warm non-stick frying pan. Cook on one side for 2 minutes or until it starts to blister, gently flip it using a spatula, and cook the other side for about 2 minutes. You want just that medium-low heat because the plantains have a significant amount of natural sugar that will burn over higher heat.

Remove tortillas from heat and cover with a clean dish towel. Repeat until all dough is used. (Makes about a half-dozen tortillas.)

Amazing Almond Flour Biscuits (Gluten Free)

Making up our own gluten-free recipes has certainly been an amazing journey and a life-changing experience, all very similar to how it must feel to be a contestant on The Bachelor. Let's continue this lofty analogy: first, you go in with high hopes, not knowing what to expect or what will happen. Your wild expectations are soon dashed, and then you're forced to figure out what's next. You cry a lot and are embarrassed when everyone watches you spin out emotionally over this setback. Eventually, against the odds, you do find love again. 

This is the end of the story, the time when you know in your heart that it wasn't all for naught and it is all going to be okay. These are some light biscuits you'd never know were GF. They don't fall apart and they taste pretty great with honey. True love really can happen, y'all, even in a highly manufactured and stressful situation. This is the proof. 

Amazing Almond Flour Biscuits

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 cup almond flour (like Bob's Red Mill)
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

2 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter (grated)

1 large egg (beaten)

1/4 cup 2% Greek yogurt

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Mix baking powder, almond flour, and salt in a large bowl. Add the cold butter using your fingers to work the butter into the flour until there are no large clumps of butter. In a small bowl combine the egg and yogurt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add the egg mixture. Using a rubber spatula, fold the mixture into the dry ingredients -- but use as few strokes as possible. 

Using a medium ice cream scoop, scoop up a 1/4-cup portion of dough and place it onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat until all dough has been used. (You should get about a half-dozen biscuits from this recipe.) Be sure to leave an inch or so between each biscuit, but don't be too particular about their shape -- drop biscuits are supposed to be rustic. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the craggy edges are brown and crispy.

TCV Kitchen Update: Before and After (and a little snack drawer)

We've been meaning to share our recent kitchen update with you! We've lived in our house here in Memphis for eleven years at this point, and after many years of learning to cook in weird apartment and rental house kitchens with features like peeling linoleum, brown wood cabinets, slivers of counter space, and no room for storage, it's great to have a room we spend so much time in look nice.

{ after }

It's easy to feel a bit nostalgic now, though. Before our current kitchen, our fourth and most long-term kitchen together was in The Belvedere Apartments on Union Avenue in Memphis, and as I type this, the building is in the midst of being demolished. We cooked our way through The Angelica Home Kitchen there, made simple spaghetti dinners for our friends, perfected our dragon bowl, spring rolls, and stir-fry, and figured out a foolproof lasagna. We cooked there for six years or so, and it's funny to remember that there was no way for two people to fit into that kitchen at one time, so any needed prep was done on the dining room table.

It's probably stating the obvious to say that one doesn't need to have to have a big kitchen or a pretty kitchen to cook well. But if you like to cook, having a kitchen set up just for you is quite a joy. We spend more time here than pretty much anywhere else in the house.

{ before }

Seven years ago, we did the big fix, first stripping layers of red paint, orange paint, and then wallpaper and then adding a drywall texture to the busted-up walls before the fresh paint. We installed basic new countertops and a cherry butcher block, replaced the 60's appliances, new cabinet fronts and pulls, new lighting and wiring, pretty much changed everything. It was our first big home project, and we learned that things have to get really messy and frustrating and gross before they get beautiful. We learned how to paint, how to do dishes in a plastic tub inside a bathtub, and how to be extremely patient. Still, there's something about destroying something tired to make it something better that's so worth it in the end.

After all of the renovation craziness that summer, we didn't do much else to the place besides reorganize from time to time. We've always spent a ton of time in our kitchen, and years later, it was showing signs of wear. Broken faucet, unorganized cabinets, dingy white paint, no backsplash, lights needing rewiring -- it was time for a few improvements. We decided to go with a modern and rustic look, and we're not completely finished yet with making it look like home, but it sure is nice to work in there these days.

{ the snack drawer }

We did the two-tone thing with charcoal gray lower cabinets and medium gray upper cabinets and walls, and cream-colored subway tile with gray grout. An inexpensive new kitchen faucet and soap dispenser combo similar to this one has been great; we've often had to replace faucets or have various parts of them repaired (probably due to how much use they get), and this one's held tight so far. Having a built-in soap dispenser on the sink for the first time in our adult lives was a serious thrill. Next, one of us added some under-cabinet lights as a Christmas surprise. Two separate projects -- organizing the spices and dedicating a cabinet to them and having pull-out drawers installed in the pantry -- also helped a lot in terms of knowing what we have at the ready and keeping like with like. Adding a 3-bin snack drawer in the cupboard was a cool, easy addition that has probably helped us snack a little more but also helped us choose better snacks. Two cabinets just for baking items and pans and a small cabinet shelf set aside for all our coffee stuff have both made life in the kitchen a lot easier, too.

We so love to cook, and it is even more a pleasure to work in this space now. We can't wait to show you what we'll create here next!