Easy Whole Grain Flatbread

What I like about Mark Bittman's recipes is that they are flexible, simple, and can be changed up easily.

This one seemed way too simple to taste good. But I had to try it. It is absolutely amazing! Even as I poured the pancake-y batter into the pan of oil and onions, I was thinking "there is NO Way this is going to turn out." Halfway through baking I looked in and thought "wow, that looks oily." Once it was finished baking, however, the crisped edges were very promising--and once I took a bite, I was immediately sold. WOW!

What a tasty and simple bread, perfect with soup, salad, pasta, or whatever else you are eating. The onion and the rosemary (I used a sprig that I'd taken from the garden and dried) gave the bread incredible flavor. I can't wait to try cornmeal, and if I can find it, chickpea flour, along with other herbs.

*note: My batter soaked for 4 hours. I used a 10 inch oven-safe skillet, and cut the oil down to a scant 3 T. I think I could have done well with even less oil.

Easy Whole Grain Flatbread

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat flour OR cornmeal, OR chickpea flour (also called besan; sold in Middle Eastern, Indian, and health food stores)

1 t. salt

4 T. olive oil 

1/2 large onion, thinly sliced (optional)

1 T. fresh rosemary leaves (optional)

1. Put the flour into a bowl; add salt; then slowly add 1 1/2 c. water, whisking to eliminate lumps. Cover with a towel, and let sit while the oven heats, or as long as 12 hours. The batter should be about the consistency of thin pancake batter.

2. When ready to bake, heat the oven to 450 F. Put the oil in a 12-inch rimmed pizza pan or skillet (along with the onion and rosemary if you're using them) and put in the heated oven. Wait a couple of minutes for the oil to get hot, but not smoking; the oil is ready when you just start to smell it. Carefully remove the pan (give the onions a stir); then pour in the batter, and return the skillet to the oven. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, or until the flatbread is well browned, firm, and crisp around the edges. (It will release easily from the pan when it's done.) Let it rest for a couple minutes before cutting it into wedges or squares.

Carmelized Onion and Zucchini Pizza

The pesto-ricotta base on this pizza is what gives it a WOW factor. And you really can't go wrong with carmelized onions! With these deep flavors combined, the slices of zucchini were there just to add some texture. I couldn't really taste them. Which, if you have a glut of zucchini and aren't really excited about yet another zucchini recipe, this is great because of the fact the taste is a little overpowered. ;)

*note (added 9/2013) I used Greek yogurt in place of the ricotta cheese and the result was awesome! I am much more likely to have plain yogurt on hand rather than ricotta, so that may be my new way of making this amazing pizza.

I think Perfect Pizza Dough is THE dough to use in this pizza!

Zucchini and Carmelized Onion Pizza

(Ladies Home Journal)

Heat 2 T. olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat, add 1 medium thinly sliced onion and cook, sitting occasionally until deeply carmelized, about 30 minutes; remove from heat.

In a small bowl combine 1/2 c. ricotta with 2 T. prepared pesto and 1/4 c. grated parmesan.

Stretch 1 lb. pizza dough into a large circle. Spread ricotta mixture over the dough and top with 1 thinly sliced zucchini, spreading carmelized onions over the top of everything. Bake at 450 degrees until crust is golden and crisp, about 12 minutes.

Crash Hot Potatoes

I'm pretty sure these potatoes are not supposed to actually LOOK like they survived a horrible crash. But hey, they taste absolutely fantastic, and for that reason, I'm keeping this recipe and will make it often. I sprinkled dried thyme over the top instead of using fresh. The salt, pepper and herbs on top give a perfect flavor that makes it unnecessary to dress them up at all. The olive oil gives the skin on all sides a mouth-watering crisp. Yum, yum, yummmm!

Crash Hot Potatoes
josiahsmomm via The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 12 whole New Potatoes (or Other Small Round Potatoes)
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt To Taste
• Black Pepper To Taste
• Rosemary (or Other Herbs Of Choice) To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender.

On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato.

With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil.

Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and fresh chopped rosemary (or chives or thyme or whatever herb you have available.)

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown

Thyme-Braised Brussels Sprouts

I am very lucky--everyone in the family (well, except the littlest guy) LOVES brussels sprouts. Most of the time I just get a frozen bag of sprouts and boil them like the package tells me to. Sometimes, though, I get fancier and use fresh brussels sprouts. This recipe turned out so tasty! I'm looking forward to getting brussels sprouts in the CSA, so it will be nice to have a few tasty recipes on hand (coming soon...roasted brussels sprouts--you won't believe how awesome they are!). This recipe for braised sprouts is one I will definitely use again.

• Thyme-Braised Brussels Sprouts
• 
  
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 shallots, sliced (*you can substitute onions)
• 1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed
• 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth or “no-chicken” broth (I used veggie stock)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 
  

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and Brussels sprouts and cook, stirring often, until the shallots are starting to brown and the Brussels sprouts are browned in spots, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in broth, thyme, salt and pepper; cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until the Brussels sprouts are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

Per serving: 88 calories; 4 g fat ( 1 g sat , 3 g mono ); 0 mg cholesterol; 11 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 4 g protein; 3 g fiber; 311 mg sodium; 480 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (130% daily value), Vitamin A (22% dv), Folate (20% dv).

Source: www.EatingWell.com

Grilled Potatoes with Parmesan and Herbs

I started making this recipe before I realized it is intended for the grill (yes, I realize the word 'grilled' is in the title...I think the word 'Parmesan' blinded me temporarily). I couldn't convince the hubby to scrape snow off the grill cover to finish supper, so I improvised and turned on my oven's broiler instead. The potatoes turned out sooo good! Will definitely make them again using the broiler, and probably try them out on the grill, as well, once the birds start singing out there!

Grilled Potatoes with Parmesan and Herbs

Ingredients

3 lbs small red skinned potatoes (or whatever smallish potatoes you have on hand)

4 T. olive oil

1 c. thinly sliced green onions

3 T. chopped Italian parsley

3 T. grated Parmesan

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 t. fresh oregano (I used 1 t. dried)

Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain potatoes and cool.

Prepare grill (med. heat). Cut potatoes in half, transfer to a large bowl. Add 2 T. olive oil and toss to coat. Grill potatoes until golden, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes (this took about twice as long when I put them under my oven's broiler). Transfer to bowl. Drizzle 2 T. olive oil over and add remaining ingredients. Toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm.

Green Rice

Another variation of rice that we enjoy with our Mexican-themed suppers!

Ingredients

2 fresh green chiles, preferably poblanos (in a pinch I use a small can of green chiles)

1 small green pepper

1 c. long grain white rice

1 garlic clove

large bunch cilantro

small bunch flat-leaf parsley

2 c. chicken stock

2 T. vegetable oil

1 small onion, chopped

salt

1. Dry roast the chiles and green pepper in a griddle pan, turning them frequently so that the skins blacken but the flesh does not burn. Place them in a strong plastic bag, tie the top securely and set aside for 20 minutes.

2. Put the rice in a heatproof bowl, pour in boiling water to cover and let stand for 20 minutes.

3. Drain the rice, rinse well under cold water and drain again. Remove the chiles and peppers from the bag and peel off the skins. Remove any stems, then slit the vegetables and scrape out the seeds with a sharp knife.

4. Put roasted vegetables in a food processor (I use Magic Bullet), with the garlic. Strip off the leaves from the cilantro and parsley stalks, reserve some for garnish and add the rest to the processor. Pour in half the chicken stock and process until smooth. Add the rest of the stock process the puree again.

5. Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion and rice and fry for 5 minutes over medium heat until the rice is golden and the onion translucent. Stir in the puree. Lower the heat, cover and cook for 25-30 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is just tender. Add salt and garnish with the reserved herbs.