“Neiman Marcus” Cookie

I needed to take still life shots for photography class, so I decided there’s no better still life than a freshly baked cookie.  I’d been holding onto the famed Neiman Marcus cookie recipe for years and just happened to have all the ingredients on hand, so it was the logical choice.  The cookies were tasty and chewy, but very dry. 

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Split Pea Soup

Historically, I prejudged Split Pea Soup.  I mean, come on, who wants to eat a bowl of muddy, smashed green peas.  It certainly doesn’t look good.  And then we went to Colorado, specifically to the Mt. Princeton Hot Springs.  We’d just finished a few days of camping in the rain, sleet, and snow and all I wanted was a delicious homemade meal.  The Princeton Club offered Split Pea Soup as the soup of the day. After one bite, I was hooked, I couldn’t get enough of this green mush. 
Once I got home, I forgot about the soup.  The food memory was overshadowed by all of the delicious meals I had during the rest of our trip.  And then I stumbled across Whole Food’s recipe for Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup.  A homemade soup with under 10 ingredients, including spices?!  Count me in.  Of course, I chose to adapt the recipe to our tastes and what I could buy organically, which got it down to 7 ingredients.  Oh, and I chose to use the electric pressure cooker, which meant the soup could be prepared, start to finish, in about 45 minutes. 
Forrest asked me the other day why I was making so much Split Pea Soup.  I told him, it’s simple, it’s cheap, and it’s delicious.  What more could you ask for?

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Lemony Carrot “Farrotto” (a.k.a. Risotto)

I stumbled across this recipe in the March issues of Fitness Magazine.  I decided it sounded like one of those recipes that you order at a modern restaurant, but fail to successfully execute at home.  Boy, was I pleasantly surprised.  Before adding the lemon, the risotto was earthy and complex, but after the lemon, it was bright, balanced and flavorful.  This is definitely a keeper recipe!

Lemony Carrot Risotto Adapted from Fitness Magazine Ingredients 4 cups low sodium chicken broth (vegetable can easily be substituted) 1/2 pound carrots, shredded 1 tbsp unsalted butter 1/4 tsp ground cumin 1/4 tsp salt freshly ground black pepper 1 cup farro 1/2 cup red wine (I used red because it’s all I had, but white would work, too) 1 1/2 tsp olive oil zest and juice of 1 lemon freshly grated parmesan cheese, for serving Directions Heat broth in small saucepan over low heat, reserving 1/2 cup. Puree 3/4 of the carrots with remaining 1/2 cup broth in a food processor. Melt butter in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat until foaming.  Add cumin, remaining 1/4 of the carrots, salt and pepper, and cook a minute or two.  Add farro and cook, stirring constantly, until it starts to crackle, about two minutes.  Add wine and cook about a minute. Stir in carrot puree and bring to a simmer.  Add broth in batches, about 1/2 cup at a time, and simmer, stirring constantly until broth is absorbed.  Repeat until farro has stopped absorbing broth and is tender, the whole process should take about 25 minutes.  Stir in olive oil, lemon juice, add salt and pepper to taste.  Cover, remove from heat, and let rest for about 5 minutes.  Grate parmesan and zest lemon over each serving.

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Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread

I’ve had a few cans of pumpkin hanging out in the pantry just waiting to be made into something delicious.  When searching for a pumpkin bread recipe, I noticed this one used coconut oil and whole wheat pastry flour, both of which were keeping that canned pumpkin company in the pantry.  So, I heeded on the side of healthy and chose to follow Katie’s recipe.  Overall, this was a very tasty bread.  Moist, flavorful, and very slightly sweet.  You certainly couldn’t tell it was whole wheat. 

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread Adapted from Cookie + Katie Ingredients 1/3 cup coconut oil 1/3 cup agave 2 eggs 1 cup pumpkin purée 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, plus more to swirl on top 1/2 teaspoon ginger 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon allspice 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 cup hot water Turbinado (raw) sugar for sprinkling on top Directions Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat oil and agave together. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix well. Add pumpkin purée and vanilla, scraping the bowl. Fold in flour, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice. In a separate bowl, combine baking soda to hot water, stir to mix. Add to batter. Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon, and swirl with the tip of a table knife for a marbled effect. Sprinkle a big pinch of turbinado sugar on top, for a sweet crunch. Bake for 55-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the bread is pulling away from the sides of the pan. Cool on wire rack for 1/2 hour before slicing. Or let it crumble and serve hot.

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Moroccan Lamb Tagine

Moroccan Lamb Tagine Adapted from Closet Cooking Marinade Ingredients 2 teaspoons paprika 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 3/4 teaspoon ground coriander 1 pinch saffron Zest of 1 lemon 1 tablespoon oil 1 pound lamb (cut into 1 inch cubes) Cooking Ingredients 1 tablespoon oil 2 tablespoons tomato paste 4 cups chicken stock 2 carrots (cut into slim rounds) 1/2 cup dried apricots (chopped) 1/2 cup dried dates (chopped) 1/2 cup dried figs (chopped) 1 tablespoon honey 1 tablespoon cilantro (chopped) 1 tablespoon parsley (chopped) 1 tablespoon toasted almond slices Instructions: Combine paprika, turmeric, cumin, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, salt, ginger, coriander, saffron, lemon zest and oil in a bowl. Add the lamb, mix well and place in a vacuum seal or zip lock bag. Marinate the fridge for a few hours or overnight. Heat the oil in a tagine or a Dutch oven. Add the lamb, brown well on all sides and set aside. Add tomato paste and cover with 4 cups stock. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer covered until the lamb is fall apart tender, about 2 hours. Add the carrots, apricots, dates, and figs. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the carrots are tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in the honey. Serve garnished with cilantro, parsley and toasted almonds.

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