My Favorite Fast & Easy Bread

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This is the bread that I make every few days, because it is so good and it is very quick – ready to eat in about 1 1/2 hours. It’s very flexible and works for white bread, whole wheat bread, herby bread or a cheesy bread. If you have a mixer with a dough hook it’s really easy. If you don’t, no worries – mixing and kneading isn’t that hard because it’s a soft dough.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 1/2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp rapid rise yeast
2 Tbsp Vital Wheat Gluten (I get Bob’s Red Mill)
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups AP flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt

If you have a stand mixer, fit the dough hook on. If not just use a large bowl and know you’ll need to stir it well and then knead it in the bowl for a few minutes.

In stand mixer bowl, add warm water, honey and yeast. Stir gently and leave alone for 5-10 minutes in a warm place. The yeast should get nice and foamy. If it doesn’t, give it a little more time, or try putting the bowl in a warmer place. If it doesn’t get foamy at all, the yeast is dead and needs to be replaced.

Add everything else, and start mixing, letting it go for several minutes until it is almost all pulling away from the side. If it is still very sticky, add another spoonful of AP flour. It’s a pretty soft dough, so it will be a little sticky. If you’re not using a mixer, stir well and put some oil on your hand. Knead the dough in the bowl for several minutes.

Spread a little olive oil in a loaf pan with your fingers. You want a little oil on your hand so the dough won’t stick.

Dump the dough in the loaf pan, folding it in the pan a few times. Put the seam side down and spread the dough to the corners of the pan.

Cover it with a clean dish towel and let it rise for a good 45 minutes in a warm place. You want it to rise to the top of the loaf pan and a bit beyond.

Preheat oven to 350 with the top rack about 1/3 of the way from the top.

Once at temp, place the loaf pan in the oven and throw a few ice cubes on the bottom of the oven. Quickly close the door and bake for 30 minutes. You want it to be nicely browned on top,

When it’s done, let it cool in the loaf pan for a while, and then take it out to finish cooling on the counter. Slice immediately and slather with butter and a little home made jam. Yum!

Note: For white bread, just use all AP flour.

I also make savory herb bread. Just replace the honey with 1 tsp sugar. Add 2 Tbsp dried onion flakes, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, and 1 Tbsp dried dill when you add the flour. You can also add 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese for cheesy bread.

Bean & Edamame Salad

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My friend Vicky brought this salad to work the other day and said she always makes some to keep in the fridge. I had to try it because I love how colorful it is and that it has so much protein. You can always soak the beans yourself, but canned beans makes this incredibly fast. Vicky uses a little good red wine vinegar, but we ended up using a vinaigrette instead. It was so good.

Ingredients:

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can Garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 package frozen Edamame, thawed
1 orange or red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3 Tbsp wine vinaigrette (I used Brianna’s Blush Wine Vinaigette)

Add onions to vinaigrette in a small bowl, stir well and let it pickle for about 10 minutes.

Add everything together in a large bowl, and sprinkle with a little kosher salt. Delicious right away and keeps well in the fridge for a few days.

Lemony Shrimp and Bean Stew

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Another fast and fabulous recipe from Sue Li in the New York Times. I made it with a few tweaks for supper last night. It was just delicious – with a wonderful, creamy texture from the Cannellini beans, rich flavor from the shrimp, onion, shallots, garlic and paprika and a burst of citrus from the zest and lemon juice.

INGREDIENTS

1 Tbsp fresh lemon zest and 2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp sweet or smoked paprika
2 garlic cloves, grated
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed (save peels for stock)
4 Tbsp butter (½ stick)
1 yellow onion, cut into large chunks
2 large shallots, cut into large chunks. (Or 2 large leeks, trimmed, halved and sliced)
1 big handful spinach (2 cups?)
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups shrimp stock, or chicken stock*
2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Toasted bread, for serving

PREPARATION

Peel shrimp and remove tails. Add peels to a small saucepan with 2½ cups water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer while you cook. Strain through a fine mesh strainer to get 2 cups shrimp stock.

Combine lemon zest, paprika, garlic, ¾ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper in a medium bowl. Add shrimp and toss to coat.

In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. When butter is foaming, add shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until pink and starting to curl, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to a plate; set aside.

Add onions and shallots, season with salt and pepper, and cook over medium until soft and starting to brown on the edges, 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add spinach and cook for a minute or two until wilted.

Gently stir in beans and hot stock. Bring to a simmer and let cook 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in reserved shrimp and any juices from the plate, lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley if using. Serve with toasted bread.

*Can use chicken stock if your shrimp is already peeled. But the shrimp stock is super tasty! You can also use any white bean. I added spinach and used an onion and shallots because I didn’t have any leeks – and we loved it that way.

Yogurt, Raspberries and Granola

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This is the simplest breakfast, dessert or snack imaginable, but it’s really good, and it looks so pretty!

The tartness of the raspberries is perfect with the yogurt and the jam and granola give them just the right amount of sweetness. I honestly would rather have this than ice cream for dessert.

For 1 serving:

2/3 cup 2% Fage Plain Yogurt (5.3 oz )
couple small spoons Raspberry jam
6-7 fresh raspberries
couple spoons of Cinnamon Granola

Place yogurt into a pretty serving dish, pour jam over (may need to add a drop or two of water to thin.) Sprinkle fresh raspberries over and then granola. Yum!

Greek Style Beans with Onions & Spinach

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I found this recipe by The Doctor’s Kitchen, aka Dr Rupy Aujla, on the BBC website. I was incredibly skeptical about these flavors combined, but I have to say I am totally won over.

It’s super satisfying – a very solid healthy main dish, and very quick and easy to make. I made some tweaks, since he uses some ingredients less easily available in the US.

It uses mostly pantry ingredients, but tastes super fresh and delish. Kumy and I had it with naan and we totally devoured it! It’s also great with toast.

Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced (red’s fine, too)
½ tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 can chopped tomatoes, with juice (14.5 oz)
2 tsp honey
1 small dry red chilli, deseeded and broken into chunks
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
1 can Cannellini beans, drained and rinsed, 14.5 oz (Can use any white beans.)
8 oz baby spinach (really big handful)
Feta cheese, crumbled for garnish

Instructions
Preheat oven to 400.

Heat the oil in a large oven-proof frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3-5 minutes until softened.

Add the tomatoes, honey, chilli, cinnamon, paprika and oregano. Simmer for a few minutes. Stir in the beans and the greens. Toss the spinach to help it wilt.

Bake uncovered for 20 minutes and serve sprinkled with Feta.

Cajun Gumbo Recipe

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For Mardi Gras this year, I made a wonderful Gumbo from thekitchn.com.

Both Kumy and I thought it was one of the better Gumbo recipes I’ve tried. The key is to take your time with the roux – it really does need to get nice and dark to get the best flavor.

I used a home-made Emeril’s Essence mix that has plenty of heat, so you may want to leave out the red pepper flakes. Serve over hot rice, with fresh scallion rings on top – it’s just amazing, and even better the next day.

INGREDIENTS
1 green bell pepper (2 if small)
1 yellow onion
3 stalks celery
1 heaped Tbsp garlic powder, or 6 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp dried parsley. or 1/2 bunch (½ cup) fresh parsley, roughly chopped.
1 1/2 Tbsp Emeril’s Essence (see note) or other salt-free Cajun seasoning, divided
2 tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (leave out if you don’t like too much heat)
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 1″ cubes
1½ tsp kosher salt, plus more as needed
1 ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
14 ounces smoked sausage cut into ½’ long rounds (Can use Andouille)
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp olive oil
6 cups chicken broth, at room temperature (Can also use water if you’re using chicken thighs.)
4 Tbsp (½ stick) butter
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp File powder (optional – I didn’t use and didn’t miss it.)

FOR SERVING:
½ bunch medium scallions
3 cups cooked white rice

Directions:

Cut the vegetables and put in a bowl.

In another bowl, add garlic, parsley, 1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning, thyme, bay leaves, and cayenne pepper; stir to combine.

In 3rd bowl, season chicken with kosher salt, black pepper, and 1/2 Tbsp Cajun seasoning.

In a large dutch oven, cook sausage over medium-high heat until browned – about 5 minutes. Remove to a plate

Add 1 Tbsp oil to pan, and brown chicken. Cook 10 minutes stirring often until chicken is browned. Remove to sausage plate.

Reduce the heat to medium. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add butter, 1/4 cup oil and flour. Cook stirring constantly until roux is nicely browned, for 10-20 minutes.

Add veggies, increase heat to medium-high and cook about 10 minutes until onions are translucent.

Add garlic mixture, sausage and chicken and cook 2-3 minutes.

Add 6 cups chicken broth, increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered until gumbo is thickened, about 35-45 minutes.

Check seasoning and serve over white rice with fresh green onions.

Note: Use a salt-free Cajun Seasoning or make your own with this Emeril’s Essence recipe from Emeril Lagasse.

Chicken, Kale and Bean Soup

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Even though it’s feeling a little warmer here, a good hearty soup is still a wonderful supper and this was a real keeper! It’s based on Melissa Clark’s Lemony White Bean Soup With Turkey and Greens from the New York Times. She has the best recipes!

It’s a very flexible soup. You can use different beans or greens and Melissa makes it with ground turkey. I used kidney beans, cooked chicken (from a Costco chicken) and kale, because that’s what I had. I also added a leek since I had them.

It was wonderful. Both Kumy and I kept sneaking back for bites!

INGREDIENTS

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 leek, halved and cut into ½” pieces
4 cups shredded kale
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 ½ tsp ground cumin
⅛ tsp red-pepper flakes
2 cups cooked chicken roughly chopped
1½ tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
1 tsp kosher salt
1 quart chicken stock
2 (15-ounce) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Juice of 1 lemon

Heat oil in a large pot. Once shimmering, reduce heat to medium and add onions, carrots and leeks. Cook stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes, until everything looks softened and a little golden.

Add tomato paste, cumin, red-pepper flakes, garlic powder, ginger and salt to the pot. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes, then add chicken. (If using raw chicken add to the pot and cook 5 minutes or so.) Add stock, beans and kale and simmer for 15 to 25 minutes. If your soup is getting thick, you can add a bit more water.

Just before serving, add the juice of one lemon. Check seasoning and serve. Yum!

Shepherd’s Pie

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I’ve been on an Alton Brown kick lately. His Southern biscuits are heavenly and super easy, and so I was inspired to try his Shepherd’s Pie. (Really Cottage Pie since it’s made with ground beef, but let’s not quibble.) I halved Alton’s recipe, since it serves 8, and I used bacon drippings instead of olive oil, since the ground beef we had was super lean, and I added a tiny bit of maple syrup. Crazy delicious!!!

For the mashed potatoes:
1 lb Yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled and cut into ½” chunks
1/8 cup half & half
3 Tbsp butter, cut in chunks
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the meat filling:
1 Tbsp bacon drippings or olive oil
1 medium chopped red onion
2 carrots, washed well and diced small
½ tsp garlic powder
1 lb ground beef
½ tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp tomato paste
½ cup chicken broth
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dried rosemary, roughly crumbled
½ tsp dried thyme leaves
½ tsp maple syrup
handful frozen corn kernels
handful frozen peas

Boil potatoes with a good pinch of salt in a large pot of water. Turn down to a simmer and let cook 15-20 minutes until very tender. Drain, add butter and mash. Stir in half & half, salt and pepper and check seasoning.

In another large pot, add bacon drippings or olive oil. Add onions and carrots and cook over medium heat 5-6 minutes, until onions are a translucent and carrots are softening. Add garlic powder, ground beef, salt and pepper and cook several minutes, stirring occasionally until most of the liquid at the bottom of the pot has dried up and the meat is browned. Add the flour and stir well. Add the tomato paste, chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, thyme and maple syrup, and continue cooking for 3-4 minutes until everything has thickened up a bit. Stir in corn and peas, and check seasoning.

Spread in a 9×11 baking dish. Drop the mashed potatoes by heaps onto the beef and spread to cover completely.

Bake at 400 for 25 to 30 minutes. Let rest for a bit before serving.

You can dab the top with butter, and if you want the top with browner bits, you can put it under the broiler for 2 minutes.

Cabbage, Leek and Toasted Walnut Pasta

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This is based on a great recipe from Hetty Lui-McKinnon in the New York Times. I’ve made it three times in the past month or so, and every time it is really good. I love sautéed cabbage and when you add leeks, cheese, walnuts and pasta, it’s practically perfect!

I usually have Romano Cheese in the fridge, but tonight I had a couple of other hard cheeses I needed to use up, and they tasted good, too. So it’s very forgiving about what kind of cheese you actually need.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
1½ tsp whole cumin seeds
3 medium leeks, halved, cleaned and cut into 1″ lengths
1 lb. cabbage, cut into 1″ cubes (about 1/2 of a good-sized cabbage)
1 ½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ pound spaghetti or any other pasta
1 cup grated Romano Cheese (or other hard cheese) plus a little more for a garnish
Juice of ½ lemon
1 cup walnuts, toasted in the oven for 5 minutes or so

Directions

Heat oil and butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and stir for 10-15 seconds. Add leeks, cabbage, garlic powder, salt and black pepper. Cook stirring from time to time – about 10 minutes or until you can see the cabbage has softened and it’s starting to brown on the bottom of the pan just a bit. 

This is really delicious as is – and you could stop here for a simple side dish. But keep cooking it, so it caramelizes just a little and really brings out the sweetness in the cabbage.

Meanwhile, set a pot of salted water boiling and cook the pasta for the time recommended on the package. When it’s done cooking, save ½ cup of the pasta water and drain the rest of the pasta.

Add pasta, pasta water and cheese to the cabbage mix and stir well. Squeeze lemon juice over and stir in walnuts, saving a few for a garnish. Check seasoning and serve hot with extra walnuts and cheese sprinkled over. So delicious!