Raised from Scratch

growing up outside the box: alternatives to processed food and television

Roasted Beet & Fennel Lasagna December 31, 2013

Filed under: Gluten Free,Lunch/Dinner,Pasta — annalope @ 1:11 am
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Suitable for rock stars and 4-year old beet lovers alike. Okay, technically it was only taste tested by one rock star and one 4-year old… but Amanda F*ing Palmer and Ella F*ing Gaines are both badass, trustworthy ladies, and both heartily approved. I thought of naming this post something like “my house as a one star restaurant” or “a Rock Star is better than a Michelin” or something equally cheesy, but decided the cheese is definitely best left on the plate.

Amanda Palmer's 4 year old fan

orange beet macro

Roasted Beet & Fennel Lasagna with Cashew-Chard Pesto

4 large or 6 small beets

2 small fennel bulbs

Lasagna noodles

1 + cup cashews

4 garlic cloves

1 bunch swiss chard

1-2 cups fresh spinach

Olive oil, sea salt, pepper

6 oz goat cheese

8 oz mozzarella

Peel beets, slice ¼ – ½”  thick, coat with olive oil and salt on a sheet pan. Roast beets at 350 for about 20 minutes, flipping once.

Slice fennel ½” thick to yield about 2 cups. Lightly coat with olive oil and salt and roast on separate sheet pan 15 minutes or until soft, flipping occasionally.

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles (GF Tinkyada pasta works fine).

Toast cashews, then transfer to a food processor with 4 garlic cloves, pulse until finely chopped. Add swiss chard and spinach, pulse until finely processed. Add olive oil until pesto looks fairly moist. Add 6 oz goat cheese. Salt and pepper to taste.

Shred 8 oz mozzarella.

Assembly:

Coat lasagna pan with a little olive oil

Noodles

Beets and Fennel

Pesto (it’s thick, just drop teaspoons of pesto on beets)

Mozzarella and black pepper

Repeat!

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until cheese is fully melted and beginning to brown around edges.

Thumbs up for beet lasagna

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Beet Burgers with Millet and Salba Seeds February 9, 2013

Filed under: Gluten Free,Lunch/Dinner — annalope @ 9:50 am
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Ellla eating beet burger

 Beet Burgers with Millet and Salba Seeds

based on recipe at Greenkitcenstories.com

½ cup millet, rinsed in hot water

1 cup water

¼ t. salt

Pinch fennel seeds, crushed

1 ½ large beets, peeled and grated

½ large zucchini, grated

1 large carrot, grated

½ red onion, very thinly sliced

3 eggs

1 salba egg (3 T. water combined with 1 T. salba/chia seeds and allowed to sit 10 minutes)

1 t. kosher salt

¼ – ½ t. black pepper

Olive oil for pan

Combine rinsed millet, water, fennel and salt in saucepan with tight-fitting lid. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and cook 15 minutes or until fluffy. Meanwhile prepare salba/chia “egg” by mixing the water and seeds in a small glass and allowing to it to sit and congeal for 10 minutes.

Combine vegetables (I used a mandoline to grate quickly) with all remaining ingredients in large bowl and mix well. Add cooked millet.

Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauté pan. Cook one test patty to see if salt/spices need to be adjusted, then cook 3 or 4 at a time, re-coating the pan with oil as needed. Cook about 3 minutes on each side.

Wonderful served on bread or pita with goat or cream cheese. We all loved these — Ella ate six of these patties for dinner!

 

Fall Vegetable Linguine November 20, 2012

Filed under: Gluten Free,Lunch/Dinner,Pasta — annalope @ 10:15 am
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 Fall Vegetable Linguine

1 pkg (16 oz) gluten-free brown rice pasta (or whole wheat if you prefer)

*reserve 1/4 cup pasta water after cooking

2 cups butternut squash, peeled, cubed

1 T. olive oil

1/2 t. salt

4 T. butter, divided

3 cups brussel sprouts, washed, trimmed and halved

1/2 t. dried thyme

1/4 t. dried rosemary

¼ t. garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 lemon, juiced

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (optional)

1 cup shredded asiago or parmesan cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 375°. Peel and cube butternut squash and toss with 1 T. olive oil and ½ t. coarse salt. Roast cubed butternut squash at 375°F for 25 minutes or until tender, stirring once after 15 minutes.

Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Reserve ¼ cup pasta water when draining.

Wash the brussel sprouts, trim the stem and halve sprouts lengthwise. Heat 2 T. butter in saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sprouts and herbs and a generous sprinkle of coarse salt; sauté for 5 minutes. Add reserved pasta water, cover pan and cook additional 2-3 minutes until sprouts are tender. Remove from heat.

Combine cooked pasta, squash and brussel sprouts. Drizzle with lemon juice, season with salt and pepper to taste; plate and top with toasted walnuts and shredded asiago.

 

Crispy Olive Oil Potato Wedges and The Great Caper October 17, 2012

Filed under: Gluten Free,Lunch/Dinner,Salads,Vegan — annalope @ 11:14 pm
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Crispy Olive Oil Potato Wedges

Inspired by Oh She Glows crispy baked fries, the small amount of cornstarch gives these little potatoes such an awesome crispy texture. Definitely a method worth trying next time you’re in the mood for fries.

6-8 new potatoes

½ t. coarse salt

¼ t. Penzey’s Bavarian spice blend

¼ t. dried thyme

2 t. cornstarch

1 T. olive oil

Preheat oven to 400°. Wash and dry potatoes (peeling is optional). Halve or quarter potatoes. In a sealable container mix salt, spices and cornstarch together. Add potatoes, seal and shake to evenly distribute spices and coat potatoes. Add 1 T. olive oil to container and shake again. Place on a baking sheet spaced 1” apart and bake 15 minutes, then use a spatula to turn, bake additional 10 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork.

Serves 3-4

Caper Vinaigrette

The Caper, which is simply a pickled flower bud, is great in any Mediterranean dish, and easy to find in practically every grocery store. Jazz up your next salad with this tasty dressing. I think it’s perfect on a simple salad of greens with tomatoes and feta.

4 T. olive oil

1 green onion, chopped (optional)

1 ½ T. stone ground mustard

1 ½ T. red or white wine vinegar

2-3 T. capers

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

If you want to use green onion, heat it along with the olive oil in a small saucepan for 2 minutes, until the onions become soft, then remove from heat, add mustard and vinegar and whisk well to combine. Stir in capers and season to taste.

If you’ve opted not to use the green onions, just grab a small bowl and vigorously whisk olive oil, mustard and vinegar together to combine. Stir in capers and season to taste.

Makes enough for 8 salads

 

Quinoa Waldorf Salad October 12, 2012

Filed under: Gluten Free,Lunch/Dinner,Salads,Vegan — annalope @ 12:27 am
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A perfect fall dish – great for potlucks and picnics as it tastes best at room temperature. I’ve brought this to multiple get-togethers and the recipe is always requested. With all the fruit and fresh greens, this salad is refreshing and a great way to celebrate the season. If you haven’t tried quinoa before (pronounced keen-wah), I highly recommend it. Quinoa is the only grain (okay, technically a seed, but cooked and eaten like a grain) in the world that is a complete protein, containing all 9 essential amino acids, so it’s wonderful for vegetarian diets. The tiny quinoa pearls have a ring around them, which will unfurl as it cooks and the seeds will become translucent. Many brands sell pre-rinsed quinoa, but rinsing in cold water at home prior to cooking ensures any bitterness from the seeds’ natural protective resin is washed away.

This recipe is easily modified. The most recent version I made, and the one pictured, I used regular raisins instead of golden, omitted the dried cranberries and celery, and used extra apples because I was bringing it to a potluck celebrating Johnny Appleseed Day. I hope you’ll try it next time you’re in the mood for a fall salad!

Quinoa Waldorf Salad

2 cups water

½ t. sea salt

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well and drained

1 large apple or 2 small apples (pink lady, gala or fuji are great), unpeeled, cut into ½” cubes

1 celery stalk, thinly sliced (optional)

2 scallions, thinly sliced

½ cup dried cranberries

¼ cup golden raisins

2 T. walnuts, chopped (optional)

2 T. seasoned rice vinegar

4 T. fresh orange juice

¼ t. ground ginger

2 cups fresh baby arugula, washed and dried

½ t. fresh black pepper + additional salt to taste

Using a sieve, rinse quinoa under cold water for about 30 seconds, briefly allow to drain. In a saucepan bring water and salt to a boil, add quinoa, cover and reduce heat to low and cook 15 minutes until water is adsorbed and quinoa fluffs easily with a fork.

Meanwhile, chop apple, celery and scallions and place in a large serving bowl along with cranberries, raisins and walnuts. In a small measuring glass whisk together rice vinegar, orange juice and ground ginger. Once quinoa has cooked and the water has all been absorbed, add it to the apple mixture and toss to combine. Pour orange vinegar dressing over salad, stirring. Gently fold in arugula to coat the greens but not tear them.

Serve with additional walnuts if desired.