Thayer in the Kitchen

These pancakes are similar to latkes and gluten free.  The pancakes & salad make an interesting breakfast but would also be good for lunch or supper. The other good thing about them is they use a lot of carrots.  If you belong to a CSA farm you probably get a lot of carrots in your fall boxes. The chickpea flour or garbanzo bean flour is available from Bob's Red Mill.  It is also available in Indian grocery stores where it is called besan or gram flour.   Ingredients 4 large eggs, beaten to blend 1 pound carrots (about 8 medium), peeled, coarsely grated ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro 1/2 cup chickpea flour Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup sliced green onions (optional) 1 teaspoon curry powder (optional) 3 tablespoons (or more) sunflower or olive oil, divided 1 cup plain yogurt, Greek yogurt works well 1 cup spicy greens (such as baby mustard greens, watercress, or arugula) 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice ...

Our last gourmet dinner was an upscale soup and sandwich supper with appetizers and desserts.  I made this chicken noodle soup and thought it was excellent. Stock 1 (2 1/2 to 3-pound) fryer chicken 3 1/2 quarts water 1 onion, peeled and diced 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning 1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning 3 cloves garlic, minced 4 bay leaves 1 tablespoon chicken stock base Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Soup: 2 cups sliced carrots 2 cups sliced celery, with leafy green tops 2 1/2-3 cups uncooked egg noodles 2 cups sliced mushrooms 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves 1/3 cup cooking sherry 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves 1/2-1 cup grated Parmesan, optional 3/4 cup heavy cream, optional Seasoning salt Freshly ground black pepper For the stock: add all ingredients to a soup pot. Cook until chicken is tender, about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and set aside to cool. Remove and discard bay leaves. You should have approxima...

This is one of those comfort food kinds of recipes, but great to make and serve with a protein for a simple supper. Although the original recipe called for frozen chopped broccoli, I used (and prefer) fresh broccoli when its available. 1 1/4-2# fresh broccoli 1 can cream of mushroom soup 3/4 cup of mayonnaise 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese or whatever cheese you have available 3 eggs 1 medium onion chopped 1/2 package of cornbread stuffing mix (or whatever dry crumbly topping you want to use) 1/4 cup of butter Steam broccoli until barely tender.  Mix together all the other ingredients except for stuffing mix and butter.  Pour into a greased casserole.  Top with stuffing mix and sliced slivers of butter.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

This is a recipe from the King Arthur Flour catalog.  I made the biscuits for breakfast.  They were tender and flaky.  I used cooked red kuri squash from 1/2 of a squash.  I cooked it in the microwave while I prepared the rest of the ingredients. 2 cups all purpose flour 1/4 cup  cheese powder , optional; for enhanced flavor 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon  pumpkin pie spice 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter 3/4 cup (3 oz.) grated sharp cheddar cheese 1 cup pumpkin or winter squash purée 1 to 2 tablespoons milk       Position a rack in the top third of your oven, and preheat the oven to 425°F.  Lightly grease a baking sheet. Combine the flour, cheese powder, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice in your food processor.  Cut up the cold butter into squares and add it to the processor.  Pulse until the butter is cut in as you would for pie crust. Toss the cheddar with the f...

This is a recipe I made when I was getting a bunch of cucumbers from my CSA farm.  I liked it because it was easy and incorporated cucumbers in a cooked dish.  Arthur liked it and said I should make it again.  It is gluten and dairy free. 1/4# or 50 g of masoor dal (red lentils) 1-1/4 cups coconut milk (I just used the whole can) 500 g or 1# of cucumbers, no need to peel if they're organic.  Cut in half, remove seeds and cut into crosswise slices 2-4 fresh green chilies, cut in half lengthwise (I used 2 and removed the seeds since Arthur is not a big fan of dishes that are too spicy) Salt to taste For tadka ( A Tadka is a ghee   or oil based spice mix added to a curry at the end of the cooking. It adds a wondrous taste to the dish, so do not skip this step) 8-10 curry leaves 2 teaspoons black mustard seeds 1 tablespoon ghee or coconut oil Wash the lentils.  Pour 1/2 c. of the coconut milk and 1-1/2 cups water.  Add the lenti...

This super easy breakfast dish has become one of my husband's favorites.  You just need to remember to start it the night before you want to serve it for breakfast. 1/2 cup uncooked oatmeal 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed 1 pint fresh raspberries 2 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons shredded coconut 3 tablespoons sliced or slivered almonds 1 cup buttermilk (I think yogurt would also work OK) 1/2 teaspoon vanilla blueberries or blackberries for garnish (optional--I didn't use) Combine oats and flax.  Mash 1 cup of the raspberries with the honey.  Set aside remaining berries for garnish. Toast coconut and almonds in skillet and add to the oat mixture.  You can reserve 1 tablespoon of the nuts for topping the cereal if you like.  I have made the dish without toasting the nuts and it is still good.  Add buttermilk and vanilla to the oats.  Add raspberry mixture and stir to combine.  Refrigerate for 4-12 hours.  Serve topped with re...

This is a delicious main dish pie to make with some of your summer tomato bounty.  Unless you have very good tomatoes don't bother to make the pie.  I used two heirloom tomatoes from our CSA box which were quite large and filled the pie shell. 1 single 9-inch pie crust   (I used a frozen pie shell from Whole Foods which was very good)                                    2-3 tomatoes, sliced (about 1 1/4#)                                     1 teaspoon salt 2- 3 cloves garlic, minced               ...

We joined Sitka Salmon Shares http://sitkasalmonshares.com this year.  "We home deliver fish-loving Midwesterners high quality, responsibly-sourced seafood direct from small boat family fishermen in Southeast Alaska through our Community Supported Fishery."  In July we received Pacific Cod and Rockfish.  This chowder was a good solution for an easy dish that combined some of our fish plus quite a few vegetables. 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil or sunflower oil 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced 2 medium stalks celery, 1/4-inch pieces 1 medium onion, chopped medium 1/2 - 1 medium red bell pepper, diced Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 2 Tbsp. flour 2 cups milk (fat free or 1%) 1 cup or 1 small bottle clam juice (water or broth can be substituted) 2 large unpeeled red potatoes, diced into 1/2-inch pieces 2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning 1 cup half and half (fat free is OK) 1 cup frozen yellow corn 1 pound cod or tilapia fillets, ski...

This recipe is adapted from one in Yotem Ottolenghil's new book, Plenty More, Vibrant Vegetable Cooking from London's Ottolenghi.  Arthur is not a huge fan of green beans which I don't get.  What's not to like about green beans.  He loved this dish and requested it twice. 1/2 cup freekeh (Freekeh is young green wheat that has been toasted and cracked.)  If you are unable to find it, you could probably substitute bulgur 1-1/2# haricots verts or fairly young tender green beans, trim stem end and cut in 1/2 if they are large 1 cup chervil leaves (I substituted parsley and a bit of tarragon since I didn't have chervil available) 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional) 1/2 teaspoon Aleppo chili flakes (I purchased mine at Penzey's)  It is from Syria and was difficult to get for awhile, but I see it is now available at Amazon and also at Penzey's.  Their pepper is now from Turkey.  This is worth purchasing because it is spicy without being o...

This may sound weird but give it a try.  We got some fabulous blueberries from Michigan and I wanted to try using them in a breakfast cereal dish.  This dish is quite unusual but my husband loved it!  He wantd to make sure I posted it so that I would be able to make it again.  I doubled the recipe which you may not want to do the first time you try it. 1 teaspoon coconut oil (or you could substitute butter or a diffrent oil such a sunflower) 3/4 cup raw quinoa, rinsed and dried (my package of quinoa said the rinsing was unecessary) 1 (15 ounce) can lite coconut milk (or regular) pinch of salt 1-2 tablespoons maple syrup 1-2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut (or sweetened if that is what you have on hand) 1/2-3/4 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen,preferably fresh) Melt the coconut oil over medium heat.  Add the quinoa and cook, stirring frequently, until it is toasted and golden brown, about five minutes.  Next, add the coconut milk and a pin...

I found this great salad in my travels through recipe trolling on the web.  There is a salad dressing recipe provided on the web page that I have not tried.  Here is a link to the original recipe which includes a picture: http://thecafesucrefarine.com/2011/07/tricias-delicious-summer-berry-salad/ Large bowl of mixed salad greens or butter leaf lettuce if available 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn if large 1 cup strawberries, sliced 1 cup blueberries 1 cup raspberries 2 scallions (red or green) thinly sliced 1/2 cup blue cheese, chopped or crumbled 1/2-1 cup roasted pecans (recipe below) Pecans 1 cup pecan halves 2 teaspoons sunflower oil 1/2 teaspoon sea salt Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Combine nuts, oil and salt.  Bake for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally or until deep golden brown.  Check at around 20 minutes to make sure the nuts are not getting too dark.  Remove from oven and cool. Assemble salad and use Annie's Raspberry Vinai...

I grow sage in my container herb garden but don't use sage nearly as much as some of the other herbs (such as basil).  This is an excellent soup that uses one of my favorite vegetables, asparagus, but also lots of sage.  The soup is thickened by using a little bit of rice which you'll never notice. Fried Sage Leaves Oil (sunflower oil is a good choice) for frying 24 sage leaves Soup 2 tablespoons butter 1 large onion, chopped 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons lightly packed and coarsely chopped fresh sage 4 cups chicken broth 2 tablespoons white rice (I used arborio rice which is the only kind of white rice I have) 2 tablespoons grated lemon peel, divided 2 lb. asparagus, ends trimmed and sliced in 1/2-1" pieces 3/4 teaspoon kosher (coarse) salt 1/2 cup (2 oz.) shaved Parmesan cheese (available in large square jar at Costco) or you could do it yourself with a vegetable peeler Fry sage leaves in hot oil until sizzling stops.  Drain on paper towels. Melt butter ...

I made these muffins last night to accompany a grilled chicken strawberry salad.  They are very tasty.  You can use whatever kind of cheese you have available. 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cups cornmeal 3 tablespoons sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 cup milk 1 large egg, lightly beaten 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1/2 cup chopped scallions 1 1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided 1 medium jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (optional)  I used it and thought it was a good addition. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease the cups of a 12-cup muffin pan.  In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir the milk, egg and butter in a bowl. Fold in the scallions, 1 cup cheese and jalapenos, if using. Combine with the dry ingredients.  Do not overmix (a few lumps are OK) or the muffins will be tough. Fill the muffin cups ...

This is a very simple salad that is worth making.  Arthur said this one has to go on your blog.  "It would convince someone who thought they didn't like quinoa to reconsider it."  I didn't make the dressing because I didn't have any fresh basil.  Next time I'm going to try the salad with the lemon basil dressing.  I used some of Annie's Raspberry Vinaigrette as a substitute. First cook the quinoa: 1 cup quinoa (rinse thoroughly if the package does not say it has been prerinsed) 2 cups water 1/2 teaspoon salt Place the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer covered for about 15 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked.  Remove the lid and fluff the quinoa with a fork.  Let it cool it to room temperature. Fruits and Vegetables: 1 cup fresh blueberries 1 cup cubed ripe mango 1 cup diced cucumbers 2 tablespoons dried cranberries 1/4 cups pecans (optional) Add desired dressing to the quinoa, next...

I've been trying to go through my home office and weed out books I no longer want.  I've also been going through old magazines.  I have a terrible time throwing out magazines without looking through them one more time.  Sometimes my reviews pay off.  I found this recipe in an old copy of Healthy Cooking.  It suggested taking a pancake mix and making some healthy additions.  I thought it produced a lighter, more tender pancake than most whole grain mixes without these additions. I use Lonesome Stone Pancake Mix which is a blend of whole wheat and rye flours.  I highly recommend trying their products.  They use locally grown grains in their mixes.  Their products are available at a number of stores in Madison.  Check out their website:  http://www.lonesomestonemilling.com/index.html . 2 eggs  (these coudn't be any more local; they are from my daughter and her husband's back yard chickens) 2 tablespoons plain yogurt (I recomm...

Our extended CSA winter share was coming to an end along with all the wonderful sweet potatoes we got in our boxes.  When I was a child I was convinced I hated sweet potatoes except for the sweet potato puffs we had for Thanksgiving.  I never make those anymore but I have come to really appreciate sweet potatoes and their versatility. This recipe is for a hearty winter soup which features sweet potatoes. Sweet Potato Corn Chowder 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed     1 tablespoon   oil  (sunflower oil which we get from our CSA farm is good)                                      12 oz. frozen corn kernels, thawed                1 cup water 1 tablespoon oil 1 ...

I'm straying a bit from my mission to post recipes using local foods, but this recipe for Shrimp & Grits was so good I didn't want to lose it.  It was from a Family Circle magazine article. 1   pound    cleaned raw shrimp  It is OK to use frozen shrimp; just be sure they are uncooked. 1 1/2   teaspoons    Old Bay seasoning 1/4   teaspoon    salt 1   cup  coarse ground corn grits, either white or yellow works (such as Bob's Red Mill)* 2   slices bacon, cut into thin strips 3   cloves garlic, sliced 1   14 ounce can   creamed corn 3/4 - 1   cup    heavy cream 2 scallions, trimmed and sliced I got some excellent grits from the Old Mill General Store in Pigeon Forge Tennessee when we were on our trip to the Smoky Mountains.  They have an old grist mill to grind their grains.  Just don't use instant grits. 1.   In a medium bowl, to...

As I mentioned in my last post we have lots of carrots.  While searching for recipes to help use some of our carrots I came across this recipe.  I made the waffles this morning for breakfast.  We had hoped to go to the indoor farmers' market for breakfast but with below zero wind chill conditions we decided to take a pass. These waffles are an interesting mixture of healthy and decadent.  I'm sure you could make changes to make them healthier but I followed the recipe from the blog site Baking A Moment.  Ingredients For the Whole Wheat Carrot Cake Waffles: 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour 1 cup all purpose flour 1 cup chopped walnuts 1/4 cup light brown sugar 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1 1/2 cups milk 1 1/2 cups finely grated carrot 3/4 cups finely chopped fresh pineapple, or canned crushed pineapple, drained 1/2 cup (1 stick) uns...

We subscribed to a Winter Veggie Lover's Share again this year from our CSA Farm Driftless Organics.  This share is a regular season-sized CSA box delivered every other week and stuffed full of potatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, a head of cabbage or kale; and a small assortment of roots like beets, turnips, winter radishes, parsnips and garlic. 7 total boxes are delivered over the course of 14 weeks.  We did this last year and really liked prolonging our CSA season a bit longer.  Their carrots are beautiful and we got a lot of them--not a bad thing. This was one of the soups that I made which we both agreed was excellent. 1 medium onion, chopped 1 rib celery, chopped 1 garlic clove, minced 1 teaspoon vegetable oil 1 lb carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces 3 ⁄ 4 inch fresh gingerroot, peeled and sliced thin 1 ⁄ 8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes 3 cups chicken broth 1 1 ⁄ 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 1 ⁄ 2 tablespoons peanut butter 1 te...

This is a recipe for the cheesecake that I made for our last gourmet club dinner.  We brought dishes from private eye novels.  It is mentioned in the book Crimson Joy by Robert B. Parker that Spenser eats cheesecake.  I'm not sure this is the cake that he had, but if it isn't it was his loss.  The texture and flavor of the cake and topping are just right.  Plus it is a very easy cake to make. It is an added bonus if you happen to have some Door County cherries in your freezer to use to make the topping.  Ingredients 1 2/3 cup graham crackers 2 tablespoons sugar 7 tbsp butter  melted 1 16 oz sour cream container 24 oz cream cheese (3 8 oz. packages) 5 eggs  1 cup sugar 1 tbsp vanilla extract  1/2 tsp almond extract 6 tbsp flour  all-purpose 1 16 oz red tart cherries  bag frozen 1 cup sugar 1/4 tsp almond extract 2 tablespoons cornstarch Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine graham cracker...

We recently had one of our gourmet club dinners.  The theme of this one was food from private eye novels.  All of the food turned out to be dishes eaten by Spenser in the 39 books written by Robert B. Parker.  Spenser eats spareribs, beans, coleslaw, watermelon, and extra corn bread at the East Coast Grill in the book, Thin Air.   I'm not sure it was this coleslaw but if not, I'm sure he would have enjoyed this version. Coleslaw 6 cups shredded cabbage 1 cup shredded carrot 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion (optional) 1 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup white wine vinegar 1 teaspoon celery seed 2 tablespoons sugar (more can be added if you prefer a sweeter dressing Salt and pepper In a large bowl, combine cabbage, carrots and onions. In a smaller bowl, make dressing by combining mayonnaise, vinegar, celery seed, sugar, salt and pepper. Toss dressing into cabbage mixture and let chill. Serve in a family style bowl. I chose this as one of the dish...