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cathyeats

I blog original, heart-healthy recipes, and we're not talking broiled chicken breast and steamed broccoli. I create hearty, spicy, adventurous food and share it with my readers.

  • Website
  • Location: Brooklyn, NY
  • Favorite foods: Pie. Pasta. Just-picked tomatoes.
  • Last bite on earth: Pulled pork in North Carolina.

Oy! Gluten-Free and Vegetarian for 10 Days. Help!

Lots of soups, stews and chilis, especially hearty ones with beans. How about Louisiana Red Beans and Rice, a Moroccan chickpea and vegetable stew, or some quinoa salads?

More things are gluten free than you might think. I recently added a gluten-free category on my blog, and was surprised to figure out that half my recipes are gluten free, and it wasn't on purpose!

Weekend Cook and Tell: Thanksgiving Pregame

My plan is to make as much as humanly possible the day before, so my T-day isn't stressful. One thing that keeps really well, and can be served at room temperature, is this wild rice dish:

Wild Rice Pilaf with Butternut Squash, Cranberries and Pecans

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into small cubes
2 cups wild rice, rinsed
6 cups vegetable stock (or half water, half stock)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dried cranberries
¼ cup warm water
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional but good!)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Toss the butternut squash with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread the squash on two baking sheets. Roast until tender and starting to brown, about 20 minutes (check earlier if your pieces are very small).

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium skillet. Sauté the onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes.

Place the dried cranberries in a bowl with the warm water and vinegar. Let sit for 10 minutes, then drain.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining olive oil, lemon zest, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, orange juice, lemon juice and fresh ginger.

Place the wild rice and stock in a medium saucepan. Heat to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes, or until some of the grains start to split. The rice should still be quite chewy. Drain thoroughly and place in a large bowl.

Add the onions and garlic, cranberries, parsley, pecans and dressing to the wild rice and stir. Gently mix in the roasted squash. Serve warm if possible, or at room temperature.

Serves 8

Weekend Cook and Tell: Crack Open a Cold One

Soon it will be cool enough to make one of my favorite vegetable dishes: braised red cabbage with apples and beer:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium red cabbage, very thinly sliced (about 6-7 cups)
2 medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 medium-large yellow onion, thinly sliced into half moons
1 12-ounce bottle beer (I used an Oktoberfest–style)
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
Pinch freshly ground nutmeg
Pinch allspice
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large pot and sauté the onion until very soft, about 8 minutes. Add the apples and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add cabbage and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, cover and simmer until cabbage is very tender, about 50 minutes to one hour. Remove bay leaf, adjust seasoning to taste, and serve warm.

Weekend Cook and Tell: Great Grains

I'm all about freekeh right now. I'll see if I can whip something up.

Whole Baked Tomato served over Pasta...am I going crazy??

KarmaFreeCooking - I love the idea of adding bread crumbs. Using bread crumbs with pasta is a truly under-appreciated technique.

Cooking Rut...Need to get creative here!

I like poached eggs over rice. Sometimes I add spinach to the rice. Yum.

You might also try searching on gojee, which lets you enter your ingredients and it gives you recipes using those.

Weekend Cook and Tell: Picnic Provisions

My picnic favorite is quinoa salad with black beans, corn and red peppers. Jazzed up with cilantro and lime, it's so refreshing. Here's my recipe:

2 cups quinoa (recommend no-rinse variety)
1 ¾ cups water
1 red bell pepper, diced small
¼ cup thinly sliced spring red onion or scallions
5 radishes, sliced paper thin using a mandoline
1½ cups fresh corn (from about 2 ears)
½ cup chopped cilantro
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
Juice of 2 limes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or more to taste
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes (optional but great!)

Combine the quinoa and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 12 to15 minutes, until you see the little white spiral “tail” appear on each kernel. The quinoa should be just tender, but still with a little crunch. Drain off any excess liquid. Cool.

Blanch the corn kernels in boiling water for one minute. Drain.

Combine the quinoa with all ingredients. Adjust salt and lime juice to taste, and serve. Can be served chilled or at room temperature. Note: for leftovers, you might want to squeeze on some more lime juice when serving, to freshen up the flavors.

And if you want to see a photo of this dish, it's here: http://www.whatwouldcathyeat.com/2011/06/quinoa-salad-with-black-beans-and-corn/

Moroccan Chickpea and Vegetable Stew

Oh, yes I guess they did remove the link. I just wanted people to see the photo, I wasn't trying to be overly self-promotional. But now I know :)

Moroccan Chickpea and Vegetable Stew

Yeah, I didn't get it either. I thought maybe it was a joke that went over my head!

Weekend Cook and Tell: Experimenting with Indian

I'm a big fan of Suvir Saran's Indian Home Cooking. If you're just starting out cooking Indian food, it's a great one to start with.

Weekend Cook and Tell: Experimenting with Indian

I love Indian food, so when I found out I had serious cholesterol problems, I was sure I would have to give it up. However, I was thrilled to find that you can make authentic and spicy Indian dishes without ghee. My latest favorite is a flavorful spinach and chickpea curry. It's also a reminder of how simple Indian cooking can be. After you buy all the spices, it's a piece of cake!

Here's the recipe, if you want to give it a whirl: http://www.whatwouldcathyeat.com/2011/03/chickpea-and-spinach-curry-chana-saag/

Weekend Cook and Tell: Spring Frenzy!

I can't resist asparagus when I see it at the farmer's market. It seems to brighten up whatever you add it to. It transformed my sesame noodles into a light and spring-y treat, especially when combined with cucumber, cilantro and scallions. Plus, all the green stuff made the noodles way more photogenic :)

http://www.whatwouldcathyeat.com/2010/04/sesame-soba-noodles-with-asparagus/

Healthy Cookies for Pilates teacher

I developed this recipe for vegan oatmeal pecan cookies, and they came out amazingly well. Here's the recipe, and you can see the photo here

Vegan Oatmeal-Pecan Cookies

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 ¼ cup rolled oats (old fashioned, not quick)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Scant ½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped pecans (or substitute macadamias or walnuts), toasted
1 tablespoon ground flax mixed with 3 tablespoons water
½ cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons unsulphured molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup organic canola oil
¼ cup dark chocolate chips, optional

Preheat oven to 350. Whisk together the flax and water, and heat in a microwave for 1 minute, or simmer for a minute on the stove. Combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and nuts in a bowl. In separate bowl, whisk together flax mixture, brown sugar, maple syrup, molasses, vanilla, and oil. Add to dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in the optional chocolate chips. Drop by the tablespoon on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from the cookie sheet while still warm and place on a rack or a plate to cool.

"'Cornish Pasty' Wins Protected Status from European commission"

Oh dear, I just made vegetarian pasties with carrots - and titled them Cornish Pasties – ttriple sacreligious!
http://www.whatwouldcathyeat.com/2011/02/vegetarian-cornish-pasties/

Weekend Cook and Tell: A Farewell to The Minimalist Column

In honor of the Minimalist as he exits the Times' Dining section, I made one of my favorite Mark Bittman's recipes: Spicy Autumn Vegetable Burgers (from How To Cook Everything Vegetarian). This has to be the world's healthiest veggie burger – just beans, greens and sweet potatoes. I topped them with his caramelized onion chutney. Soooo good!
http://www.whatwouldcathyeat.com/2011/01/spicy-vegetable-burgers/

Weekend Cook and Tell: Resolute Menus

Because I have heart disease, I eat a pretty heart-healthy diet. But it can always be better, so this year I am vowing to eat even more vegetables. I'm no longer counting a small salad as my vegetable with dinner - I'm eating a big plate of vegetables along with whatever else I'm having. And I am also vowing to branch out in terms of whole grains – brown rice is getting boring! Farro, millet, amaranth, I'm game for it all.

Here's a list of all of my nutrition resolutions:
http://www.whatwouldcathyeat.com/2011/01/5-new-years-nutrition-resolutions/

Weekend Cook and Tell: Beyond Tofurkey: Venerable Vegetarian Thanksgiving Options

The recipe link isn't working, and I couldn't find it by doing a search on Epicurious. Can you direct me to the recipe? Looks great! Thanks.

Weekend Cook and Tell: Beyond Tofurkey: Venerable Vegetarian Thanksgiving Options

I just submitted my vegan gravy to Photograzing, but oops....forgot to tag it for Weekend Cook and Tell! Anyway, here is the recipe if you want it. This gravy rocks!

http://www.whatwouldcathyeat.com/2010/11/healthy-thanksgiving-series-vegan-gravy/

Weekend Cook and Tell: Beyond Tofurkey: Venerable Vegetarian Thanksgiving Options

Indolent Cook, your oka yams look kind of .... obscene!

And msingram, I want your shiitake mushroom gravy recipe.

You people are making me way too hungry!

Weekend Cook and Tell: Beyond Tofurkey: Venerable Vegetarian Thanksgiving Options

I made a stuffed squash with quinoa which might be a good Thanksgiving entree (quinoa is protein, too!). And if you're a cheese eater, goat cheese would be a nice addition, as in the comment above.

Here's the dish I made:
http://www.whatwouldcathyeat.com/2010/10/stuffed-kabocha-squash-with-quinoa-and-chickpeas/

Weekend Cook and Tell: Beyond Tofurkey: Venerable Vegetarian Thanksgiving Options

I think vegetarians deserve protein, but agree that Tofurkey sucks. The entree ideas listed in the article seem like side dishes to me - they seem like vegetables, butter bread and cheese. I am trying to think of a heart-healthy entree that has protein. Maybe something with lentils? I need ideas!

The Crisper Whisperer: Share Your Favorite Fall Produce Recipes

I make a potato and mushroom gratin that's unusual in that it has no cheese or cream. It's little more than potatoes, mushrooms, olive oil and herbs - but it's so much greater than the sum of its parts!

Here's the brazen link to my blog :)
http://www.whatwouldcathyeat.com/2010/04/potato-and-mushroom-gratin/

Moroccan Chickpea and Vegetable Stew

I adapted this delicious vegetarian stew from an Aida Mollenkamp recipe that was on the Food Network site. I changed up the spices quite a bit. Harissa and preserved lemon are key ingredients! It's super colorful and pretty, too