Madhu Knits and Cooks

Recipe, knitting, and sewing project notes

Tag: Cooking — Side Dishes

  • Weeknight White Bean and Leek Soup – Delicious, Year-Round Meal

    I am not quite sure what got me started on making a white bean and leek soup nearly weekly, but whatever the inspiration was, I'm glad it came and that I acted on it!  In short, I've been making variants of this Food & Wine White Bean and Leek Soup for a few months.  It's a fantastic soup to whip up during a week night, and even halving the recipe provides at least 3 light and flavorful servings.

    I've made a number of modifications to the recipe, and my approach follows the picture below.

    White Bean Soup - Served

    Ingredients (for 3 – 4 servings)

    • 2 tbsp. butter or olive oil
    • 1 carrot, diced
    • 2 leeks or onions, diced
    • 1 bay leaf
    • pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
    • 1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
    • 3 tsp. Better than Bouillon (or use vegetable broth in place of bouillon and water)
    • 4 cups water
    • 1/2 cup small pasta (optional)
    • 1/4 cup grated parmesan or to taste
    • salt and pepper, to taste

    Directions

    • Melt butter on medium heat in a thick-bottomed soup pot
    • When melted, add leeks and carrot.  Stir periodically and cook for approx. 7 – 10 minutes or until leeks and carrots are wilted

    White Bean Soup - Leeks Cooking

    White Bean Soup - Carrots and Leeks Cooking

    • Add white beans, bay leaf, and cayenne.  Saute for approx. 1 minute.

    White Bean Soup - White Beans Carrots and Leeks

    • Add water and broth, and bring to a boil.  Lower heat and then simmer for approx. 10 minutes.

    White Bean Soup - Cooking on Stovetop

    • If you desire, add the pasta at this stage and cook until tender.
    • Remove soup from the heat, season with salt and pepper, and garnish with parmesan before serving.

    BONUS:  If you want to make fresh croutons to add to the soup, while the soup is cooking, preheat an oven to 350 degrees.  Cut bread into one-inch cubes, and toss with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper.  Bake for ten minutes or until crisp.  

    White Bean Soup - Croutons

  • Three Cheese Onion Dip with Chives and Peperoncini

    For the Super Bowl this year, we basically prepared (and turned on the TV) just for the Lady Gaga halftime show.  It's not a surprise given that neither of us watch football, but in times past, we have tried to fake an interest and invite people over for food and drink.  

    For our halftime show watching, we prepared ultimate comfort food – a baked Mexican layer dip and a three cheese onion dip with chives and peperoncini.  The cheese dip recipe was from Bon Appetit, and in fact, I found it by looking through a BA print edition on a friend's coffee table the day before.

    Three Cheese Dip - recipe

    I halved the dip ingredients, but otherwise followed the recipe as is.  It was really easy to make, and the peperoncini added a nice mild spice to an otherwise simple dip.  I really enjoyed eating the leftovers over the coming days and I think it'll be a great dinner party app in the future.

    Three Cheese Dip - Grated Cheese

    Three Cheese Dip - prebaking

    Three Cheese Dip - Baked

    Three Cheese Dip - Compiled

  • Velvety Pureed Cauliflower Soup – a New Winter Favorite

    Unlike some of my recent blog entries, I am having a physical reaction as I am typing this post.  I am actually salivating as I think about the velvety, rich soup I made of cauliflower and chives.  The soup could not have been simpler, and really turned out wonderfully – basically like a warm hug to get you through cold winter nights.

    I did modify the Cook's Illustrated recipe in some ways though, and will likely continue to update it in the future.  First, I reduced the amount of butter I used in the recipe, starting by using only 2 tbsp. for sautéing the leeks and then another 2 tbsp. for cooking down the florets.

    Cauliflower Soup - leeks cooking down

    Cauliflower Soup - Pan frying cauliflower

    Second, I didn't have any sherry vinegar on hand and omitted it – which may have led to a soup that was a bit one-note in flavor.  I will definitely include some sort of vinegar in it moving forward to help add another flavor aspect.

    Cauliflower soup - soup simmering

    Cauliflower soup - soup cooked down

    I then only partially pureed the soup to keep some cauliflower chunks – which worked out perfectly for my tastes.

    Cauliflower soup - pureed

    Cauliflower soup - pureed in pot

    Look forward to making this soup again next winter!

    Cauliflower soup - served

  • Fresh Corn Cornbread – Great Way to Complement Summer Soups!

    As the weather is now much colder, and sweet summer corn is but a memory, I am fairly sad about writing up this latest blog post.  This cornbread can truly only be made in summer, which is now of course nearly a year away.  

    Fresh Corn Cornbread Baked

    This cornbread features fresh summer corn kernels, cooked down, with cornmeal, butter, buttermilk, and just a few other ingredients.  I followed the Cook's Illustrated recipe almost exactly, with the one deviation being that I didn't cook down the corn kernels to the amount called for in the recipe (I ended up with approx. 1 cup cooked down corn, v. 3/4 cup called for in the recipe) and baked the cornbread for 27 minutes.

    Fresh Corn Cornbread Blended Corn

    Fresh Corn Cornbread Dry Ingredients

    Fresh Corn Cornbread - Cooking Corn

    Fresh Corn Cornbread - Cooked Down Corn

    Fresh Corn Cornbread - Cooked Corn with Butter, Buttermilk

    Fresh Corn Cornbread - Dough Mixed Together

    Fresh Corn Cornbread - Ready to be Baked

    The result was fantastic – great flavor, great thick texture, moist in the inside, and slightly crispy / firm on the outside.  The cornbread definitely dried a bit out the next day, but it was still good.  I think this is a perfect cornbread to complement a summer vegetable soup, and look forward to making it next year! 

  • Roasted Carrots with Parsley and Thyme – Great Party Side Dish

    With some leftover parsley and thyme, and wilting carrots in the fridge, turning to the New York Times Roasted Carrots with Parsley and Thyme couldn't have been more of an obvious decision.  

    The ingredients were very easy to throw together, and while the roasting took some time (~45 minutes), it allowed me plenty of time to construct the main part of my meal.

    Roasted Carrots with Herbs in Bowl

    Roasted Carrots with Herbs on Baking Sheet

    The flavors of the cooked carrots were great – though it took a fair amount of salt for the herb flavors to really come through.  These carrots would be a fantastic, low-work side dish for a dinner party.  I look forward to making them again this winter!

    Roasted Carrots with Herbs Baked

    Roasted Carrots with Herbs Close Up

  • Perfect Summer Side – Greek-Inspired Quinoa, Feta and Scallion Salad

    Continuing with my summer-long attempts to incorporate more protein into my diet and create more healthy side dishes, I think I have now perfected a wonderful Quinoa, Feta and Scallion summer salad recipe.  This dish was inspired by a Food.com recipe for Quinoa, Feta, and Spinach salad that we tried at an early summer get-together and that my husband declared made him a quinoa convert.  

    Quinoa Feta Salad Served

    We subsequently tried making this salad a few different ways, tailored to our personal tastes.  This ultimately meant simplifying the salad by removing the spinach and instead increasing the amount of other seasonings, e.g., the red wine vinegar, olive oil, and cucumber.  This could not be easier to make as you can chop the vegetables and measure out the seasonings while the quinoa is cooking, and then just toss everything together.  It's a great base for make-ahead work lunches as well.  Can't wait to continue making this salad again and again!

    Quinoa, Feta and Scallion Salad

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
    • 2.5 – 3 tbsp. olive oil (to taste)
    • 2.5 – 3 tbsp. red wine vinegar (to taste)
    • 1 – 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
    • 4 – 5 oz. feta (to taste)
    • 1 small cucumber, diced (preferably Israeli cucumber)
    • 4 – 5 scallions, finely chopped
    • 2 tbsp. fresh parsley, minced (optional)
    • salt and ground black pepper (to taste)

    Directions

    • Bring quinoa to a boil with 2 cups water on medium-high heat.  When boiling, reduce heat to a low simmer, cover and cook until quinoa is tender.

    Quinoa Feta Salad - Quinoa Cooking

    Quinoa Feta Salad - Cooked Quinoa 

    • While quinoa is cooking, mix together olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic and cumin in small bowl.  Chop the vegetables, and cut the feta into small pieces.

    Quinoa Feta Salad - Feta Block

    Quinoa Feta Salad - Cut Feta

    • Add to quinoa after it is cooked, and then stir in other ingredients.

    Quinoa Feta Salad - with Cooked Quinoa with Scallions

    Quinoa Feta Salad - Mixed Together

    • Season with salt and pepper to taste, and then serve immediately or refrigerate until serving.

  • Sugar Snap Peas with Sesame, Ginger and Lemon Zest – Early Summer Heaven

    While I have had sugar snap peas before in stir fry dishes, cold salads and in other vegetable medley dishes, I have never actually purchased or cooked with them before.  On a whim, I saw some delicious-looking sugar snap peas at the farmers market earlier this summer, and I picked up a small bag full.

    My resulting first-time attempt at cooking this vegetable could not have gone better.  The sugar snap peas were perfectly delicate, flavorful, and completed perfectly by herbs and citrus.  While I give a lot of credit to the great Sugar Snap Peas with Sesame, Ginger and Lemon Zest recipe I used from Cook's Illustrated, I think that no matter how you cook these vegetables when they are in season, they will turn out amazingly good.

    To that end, is it next summer yet?  :-)

    Sugar Snap Peas - Roasting Sesame Seeds

    Sugar Snap Peas - Roasted Sesame Seeds and Lemon Zest

    Sugar Snap Peas - Sauteeing

    Sugar Snap Peas Sauteeing with Herbs

    Sugar Snap Peas Completed

  • Flavorful Quinoa – Bean – Tomato Bake

    I recently discovered that the internet is littered with "quinoa bake" recipes.  I guess a quinoa bake makes sense, just as other casseroles make a lot of sense.  Why not bake an otherwise bland grain with herbs, spices and vegetables to give it more pizzaz?  

    Once I fully understood this seemingly amazing, yet not actually innovative concept, I set up to make my own quinoa bake.  Modeled after some other recipes on the internet, I decided to incorporate beans and a few other items in my pantry.  This was definitely a bit of a made-up effort conducted as I was sorting through items in my fridge and cupboard, but somehow resulted in a great output.   

    My first quinoa bake was slightly spicy from a random can of hot Rotel tomatoes / chiles in the cupboard; nicely flavored from sauteed onions and garlic; and featured some lightness from some fresh lemon juice.  This can definitely be a weeknight exercise, as it took relatively short time to prepare and bake this casserole, which ultimately lasted for days!

    Quinoa Bake in Casserole Dish

    Quinoa – Red Bean Bake

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup dry quinoa, cooked
    • 1.5 cups of cooked red kidney beans
    • 1 white onion, diced
    • 3 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 can of Rotel, hot version (tomatoes and habaneros)
    • 1 tsp. cumin
    • 1 tsp. dried red chile powder
    • 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
    • 1 tsp. lemon juice
    • 1.5 cups of shredded sharp cheddar
    • salt to taste (approx. 1.5 tsp.)

    Directions

    • Heat over to 350 degrees
    • If not cooked, boil the quinoa with 2 cups of water until slightly al dente

    Quinoa Bake Quinoa

    • Saute onion in a medium skillet on medium-high heat until translucent, and stir in garlic until fragrant (approx. 1 minute)

    Quinoa Bake Onions

    • Add tomatoes and cook for an additional 5 minutes
    • Remove tomato mixture from heat, and in a casserole dish, stir approx. 3/4 of the tomato mix with quinoa, beans, cumin, chile powder, cilantro, lemon juice, and salt to taste (approx. 1.5 tsp.)
    • Spread remaining tomato mixture on top of quinoa mixture and then sprinkle shredded cheese evenly on top
    • Cover the casserole dish with foil, and bake for approx. 20 minutes or until bake is hot and the cheese is melted
    • Let sit for approx. 5 minutes before serving

     

  • Miso Soup with Tofu and Kale – Healthy and Easy Weeknight Soup

    With a large tub of low-sodium white miso paste in my fridge, a result of the Miso, Polenta and Kale soup , I have been thinking of more ways to use miso.  While I hope for more innovative miso experiments in the future (e.g., salad dressing, glazes for tofu or vegetables, or even miso cookies), my latest miso attempt was…miso soup.  With kale.  And tofu.  So basically the Miso, Polenta and Kale soup without the polenta.

    IMG_3107

    While completely uninteresting from the innovation agenda, the resulting soup is actually quite good and easy to make during a weeknight.  In addition to using the Serious Eats polenta soup recipe as a guide, I also took inspiration from Martha Stewart and the Minimalist Baker and improvised the soup.  

    The only change I will make to the below recipe in the future is to omit some of the salty inputs to create a more balanced output.  So that could mean removing the bouillon or reducing the sea salt.

    Miso Soup

    Miso Soup with Tofu and Kale

    Ingredients

    • 2 tbsp. olive oil
    • 3 tbsp. diced onion (optional)
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 tsp. minced ginger
    • 2 tsp. Better than Bouillon
    • 1 package silken firm tofu, cubed into 1/2 inch pieces
    • 4 tbsp. reduced sodium white miso paste
    • 2 cups ripped / coarsely chopped kale
    • 2 scallions, diced
    • 6 cups water
    • 1 – 2 tsp. soy sauce (to taste)
    • crushed red pepper (to taste)

    Directions

    • Heat oil in a medium soup pot on medium-high heat, and when warm, stir in onion
    • When onion becomes translucent (3 – 5 minutes), add the ginger and garlic and saute for approx. 45 seconds – 1 minute or until fragrant
    • Add water and bring to a boil.  When boiling, add bouillon, tofu, miso, kale and scallions.
    • Cook until kale is to your preferred consistency, and add soy sauce / red pepper to taste.

  • Balaboosta Crispy Kale with Nigella and Sesame Seeds

    Kale chips are not an uncommon output from my kitchen.  Baking kale to thin crisps is a great way to use slightly wilted, leftover kale that I recommend everyone try.  

    However, my kale chips aren't usually that special - just some olive oil and salt.  I've thrown some garlic on kale chips on the past, but that's about it.  

    I've never felt a desire to gussy up this approach until I checked the Balaboosta restaurant cookbook from the library, on the recommendation of a co-worker.  I've never been to the Balaboosta Mediterranean / Middle Eastern restaurant in NY, but one of my London-based co-workers highly championed this cookbook, so why not?  

    The Balaboosta Crispy Kale with Nigella and Sesame Seeds recipe provided just a few slight variations to my usual kale chips approach.  First, you bake the kale chips for a longer period of time (approx. 30 min) at 275 degrees instead of a shorter period of time at a higher heat.  Second, you spice up these chips by adding nigella and sesame seeds, as well as the optional ingredients of lemon juice, tahini, and garlic.  I ended up using just the nigella seeds, citrus juice (lime instead of lemon), and garlic, and omitted the tahini.

    Balaboosta Kale - Baked Close Up

    The final dish, pictured above, was good, but not great.  The citrus, nigella, sesame, and garlic added just marginal, additional flavor to the chips and didn't really "wow" me.  That being said, this might be a good approach for a Mediterranean / Middle Eastern dinner party in the future.

    Balaboosta Kale - Baked

    In addition, at least this approach retained the general simplicity of my kale chips recipe and probably just adds 1 minute to the overall preparation time.

    Balaboosta Kale - Pre-Baking Close Up

    Balaboosta Kale - Pre-Baking