This is a recipe that my mom cut out of the Sunday Parade magazine and saved for me with a note that said “Sounds yummy!” It did sound yummy and I was glad to finally get around to trying it.
However, it was whoa salty, even after decreasing the amount of salt in the original recipe (it called for 3 teaspoons total!). I’ve decreased it even further here…I’d suggest being careful with the salt and err on the side of less is more. I also decreased the amount of olive oil.
Harissa is a Tunisian hot chili pepper paste and I found it on the very top shelf of the grocery store in the aisle with the Asian ingredients (in case you don’t like to ask for directions like me). I loved the flavor of the fiery harissa paired with the coolness of the yogurt sauce…the potatoes and leeks on their own would make a great side dish on their own!
Photos
Chicken and potatoes, resting with harissa mixLeeks!Before the roasting partyAfter the roasting partyDinner is served!
Day 2 of “the walk”…I was awake before 5 (and greeted with coffee/tea and hot water to wash up) and we were on the trail around 7 AM. After we passed an official camp stop in the morning, we got to experience what Jonathan called the “gringo killer” before and after lunch, until we made it to Dead Woman’s Pass. Yes that is what it is called — supposedly because of the shape of the mountains from the distance, not because women have died tried to climb up to it (just in case you were wondering). A headache was a gentle reminder of the altitude (13,828 feet [4,215 m]). The afternoon was all about putting one foot in front of the other, taking frequent breaks to hydrate and check out the views, and getting to the pass. It was all downhill after that, and very exciting to see the REI sign at the campsite at the end of the day.
Does it look like I’m holding on for dear life? I think I was…
Trail blocker
Breakfast…if only I had time for a multi-course breakfast every day!
Popped amarinth + quinoa that I mixed with peach yogurt, mini sandwiches with ham or turkey, and cheese, and then barley porridge with fresh banana.
Breakfast spread
Popped amarinth and quinoa with peach yogurt
Lunch:
Made it to lunch ~11:50 AM. Fresh passion fruit juice awaited us. Lunch was corn soup (cheese cubes, egg, herbs), trout picked up at the trout farm we passed on the way up, mashed potatoes with cheese cubes, apple crunch.
Fresh trout with mashed potatoes and vegetables
Tea time!
Dinner was delicious, as always: chicken vegetable soup, pasta with chicken and vegetables, and black corn pudding with prunes which was supposed to help with digestion and keep us warm.
I had some leftover rice from Indian takeout, a basil plant that I didn’t kill this summer, and a lime. There was fish sauce already in the cupboard. All I needed to pick up was the onion, carrot, and meat…and voila, dinner is served. The original recipe had more fish sauce in it, but in these types of recipes I prefer less fish sauce and more umami so next time I’d definitely decrease it (and I wrote the recipe to reflect that already).
As I was packing for my second hiking trip with REI Adventures last month, I came across my journal from last year’s trek to Machu Picchu and finally decided to write something. It’s been over a year now, and I still consider it a “bucket list,” once in a lifetime experience. I also still remember how hard it was…dealing with some serious altitude, navigating travel with a group, camping (ok, glamping), not showering for four days, and then of course, the hiking part.
Our group consisted of two girls from Chicago (Kelly and Julia), two girls from Boston (Julie and me), a guide (Jonathan), two cooks, and eight porters. An embarrassment of riches in terms of support, but we were told that is a requirement for the trail (aka you can’t go without porters). The porters are allowed to carry a maximum of 50 pounds on their backs, and each day they will run past you on the trail while wearing worn out sandals. Humbling.
I thought I’d share some excerpts from my journal…unedited, for your reading pleasure. And if it doesn’t make sense or sounds bananas, well then, I blame the altitude.
June 1 (Day 1 on the trail)
Morning (last shower!), meeting Miguel and Santiago (cook and assistant cook), and observing a political protest:
Stopped in Ollantaytambo to use restroom and pick up last minute stuff at market (Miguel/Santi). Socialist protest in square trying to get people not to vote (elections are June 5; if 30% don’t vote, then there has to be a re-election. Voting is mandatory).
Day 1, still clean and ready to go
Lunch break:
Stopped for lunch ~1:30-2 at Tarayoc — felt so spoiled. They greeted us with lemonade and there was a tent set up for us to have a 3-course lunch (our napkins were folded into swans)…salad with fava beans, corn, and cheese; Peruvian beef with rice and fried potatoes; “fruit soup” for dessert. So delicious, and amazing that the porters could carry all this stuff! Our waiter wore a vest!
First course, fresh veggies!
Arriving at our camp site for the evening:
The toilet tent is interesting — not the worst I’ve ever used (that would be the squat toiled in Beijing). Low to the ground and kind of awkward.
Tea team — pound cake, cheese slices, and elderberry jam and cream cheese sandwiches. We see the porters going into our tents — they left us presents. A basket with 4 lucky seeds, bug spray, body cream, lip balm, and tissues. And a chocolate on our sleeping bag.
Glamping at its finest
After dinner:
Sat out under the stars drinking tea. I’ve never seen stars like this before. Could see the Southern Cross (kite-shaped) and the Milky Way. Makes you feel so small and insignificant.
Then we got hot water bottles to take to sleep with us — “this is your baby.”
Am nervous about tomorrow’s hike. Hardest day and we are climbing ~4K feet. Up at 5:15 am to get an early start.
Body check: no blisters, all feels good. Fingers crossed it stays that way.
I am a big fan of vanilla or lemon cake, so if you put me in charge of the birthday cupcakes, that’s probably what you’re going to get! These were light, lemony, and m***t. I baked them ahead of time and froze them. I forgot to get a close up photo of the finished product, so you’ll have to settle for an action shot of the birthday girl making a birthday wish!
As you know, I like easy recipes, and this one pan chicken recipe definitely fits the bill! The broccoli and bell peppers also make it quite colorful and fiber-ful.
If you’re feeling ambitious, you could toast the cashews separately, but it’s really not necessary. I like to stir in the cashews at the end so they keep their crunch.
For the sauce:
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp hoisin
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 Tbsp honey
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon fresh minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup water, plus more as needed to thin out sauce
For the chicken and vegetables:
2 medium skinless boneless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1″ pieces
Salt and black pepper, to taste
1 head broccoli, cut into pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into pieces
1 green bell pepper, cut into pieces
2/3 cup roasted unsalted cashews
Chicken with sauce, ready for the oven
Directions
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together all of the ingredients for the sauce. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens and bubbles. Remove from heat and set aside.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper or foil coated with cooking spray and set aside.
Season chicken with salt and black pepper then drizzle about one-third of the sauce over the chicken, coating well on both sides.
Cook chicken in preheated oven for 8 minutes then remove the pan.
Arrange the broccoli florets and bell peppers in a single layer around the chicken. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper and drizzle about one-third of the sauce and toss everything to coat. Return to the oven and cook for another 8-12 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.
Remove pan from oven and stir in cashews and the remaining sauce. Serve over rice or quinoa and enjoy!
I love burritos! One of my all-time favorites here in Boston is the pescado burrito from El Pelon (sub pickled cabbage for lettuce). Yum, this is making me crave one of those right now.
I don’t make burritos at home a lot, but I recently had some burrito-spiration. These were delish and I will definitely be making these again. I froze some of the leftover filling for the next time a burrito craving hits.
Butternut squash, black bean, and spinach mixture
Burritos with butternut squash and spinach
Source: adapted from Everyday Food, Dec 2008
Makes: 4-6 burritos
Ingredients
For the filling:
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon taco seasoning
1 package (15 ounces) frozen diced butternut squash
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
5 ounces fresh baby spinach
Salt and pepper to taste
For assembly:
4-6 tortillas (I usually use whole wheat, but had regular flour ones on hand)
2-3 ounces goat cheese (about 0.5 ounce per burrito)
Chopped fresh tomatoes or salsa (optional)
Sliced avocado (optional, about 1/4 avocado per burrito)
Burrito prep
Directions
1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally until translucent (about 5 minutes). Stir in taco seasoning and cook for an additional minute or so.
2. Add squash and 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mixture is slightly thickened, 2-3 minutes. Stir in beans and spinach. Cook until warmed through and spinach is wilted, 4-6 minutes.
3. Stack tortillas, and wrap in a double layer of damp paper towels; microwave until hot. Place tortillas on a work surface. Spread goat cheese on tortilla, then spoon bean mixture in a line down the center of each tortilla. Top with tomatoes and sliced avocado. Fold side of tortilla closest to you over filling, then fold right and left sides in toward center; tightly roll up burrito. Cut burritos in half, if desired, and enjoy!
I adapted the recipe from Babble. Here are a couple of notes:
I used a little less than 1/4 cup of each of the sugars.
They don’t spread so if you want a cookie shape rather than a “blob of dough” shape, then you’ll need to shape and flatten them a bit before baking.
These are not your typical chocolate chip cookies, but they are dense little bites of goodness that completely satisfied my craving. Plus they are gluten- and dairy-free, if that’s what you’re into.
Photos
5-ingredient cookie doughNote shape of cookies on left vs. right5-ingredient peanut butter chocolate chip cookies
I’ve had this recipe hanging around for seven years, and I finally made it! A traditional cottage is topped with mashed potatoes. Martha’s recipe calls for regular potatoes, and I decided to use sweet potatoes!
A pound of meat, mixed with onion, carrot, and peas makes a lot so I recommend using half the meat mixture and saving (freezing!) the other half for another night. It makes for a quick and easy weeknight meal — you just have to remember to pull it out of the freezer ahead of time and have a sweet potato on hand.
Beautiful and healthy sweet potatoes
Cooking the meat and veggies, I added turnip and omitted the peas.
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced medium
2 large carrots, cut into 3/4″ pieces
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup dark (porter) beer
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup frozen peas
1 large sweet potato, very thinly sliced
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large skillet, heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil over medium-high. Add onion and carrots and cook about 5 minutes, stirring often, until onion is soft. Season with salt and pepper and stir in tomato paste.
2. Add meat and cook about 3 minutes, breaking up with a wooden spoon as it cooks, until almost cooked through. Add thyme and beer and bring to a boil. Cook about 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until slightly reduced. Sprinkle flour over mixture and stir to combine. Add 1 cup water and cook until mixture thickens, about 2 minutes. Stir in peas and season with salt and pepper.
3. Transfer half of the mixture to a greased 8×8″ baking dish. Top with sliced sweet potatoes, overlapping slices. Season potatoes with salt and pepper and brush with remaining 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. Bake until sweet potatoes are browned around edges and tender when pierced with a knife, 25-30 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
I made this red lentil dal for you. I added butternut squash because I could, and because more veggies is usually a good idea in my book. And because I just happened to have some frozen butternut squash cubes hanging out in the freezer.
I know there are so many dal recipes out there; I liked this one because it’s easy peasy! Do you have a favorite?
Caramelized onions
Red lentil dal with butternut squash
Serves: 4-5
Source: epicurious
Ingredients
1 large onion, diced and divided (2 cups)
3 cloves garlic, minced and divided
3 cups water
1 cup dried red lentils
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Basmati rice and/or naan for serving
Directions
In a heavy medium saucepan, combine 1 cup onion, 2 minced garlic cloves, 3 cups water, lentils, butternut squash, turmeric, cumin, and ginger. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until lentils are tender, about 10-15 minutes.
While lentils are simmering, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add remaining 1 cup onion and 1 minced garlic clove and sauté until tender and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
Transfer half of lentil mixture to a food processor and purée until smooth. Return purée to the same saucepan. Mix in sautéed onion and garlic mixture from step 2. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes to blend flavors. Remove from heat, stir in cilantro, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Top dal with tomatoes and serve with basmati rice or naan. Enjoy!
Red lentil dal topped with tomatoes, served with a side of naan
Kara Cooks and Eats 