spiced beets

another recipe from my 30-minute indian cookbook, and one of my favorite ever recipes. the combination of spices, cool cilantro and coconut milk with the yummy earthy sweetness of the beets is perfect. don't fear beets, they have such a great flavor and are so easy to prepare - i always use my pressure cooker and 10 minutes later i have little red jewels ready to eat. they are great plain, but i crave this dish.

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds, coarsely crushed
½ tsp dried red chili flakes
1 ¼ lb cooked and peeled beets (or canned), cut into wedges
½ cup coconut milk
¼ tsp ground cardamom seeds
Grated rind and juice of 1 lime
Handful of fresh chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and when hot, add the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander seeds, and chili flakes. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes then add the beets. Fry, stirring gently for 1 minute and then add the coconut milk, ground cardamom, lime rind and juice and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the chipped cilantro, season with salt and pepper, and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

fresh blackberries

This morning Tessa and I picked 2 bowls full of fresh blackberries from our garden. She ate one bowl and I had the other with sour cream mixed with a little brown sugar, which was inspired by Amy's strawberry post. It was so delicious--thanks Amy! (also Amy, your pictures always turn out so nice--I think I need a new camera or better photography skills...probably both)

banana oatmeal bread

i've been searching for a the perfect banana bread recipe for years, and i've finally found it. i pulled this one out of cooking light years ago and finally got around to making it (after i found it in a stack of torn out recipe pages). it's got everything i was looking for: great texture, not too sweet, and light on the fat. although it calls for oatmeal, which i didn't have, i used a 4 grain hot breakfast mix with barley, oats, wheat, and rye. i liked it so much i will use this mix every time (it's a wegmans brand). so go! use those brown bananas and make this yummy bread!

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup regular oats

1 cup mashed ripe banana

1/3 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

cooking spray

preheat oven to 350. combine flour, sugar, baking powder, soda and salt in a large bowl and combine well with a whisk. stir in oats. combine mashed banana, buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and eggs in a separate bowl, then add to the flour mixture. stir just until m-word. spoon batter into an 8x4 inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. bake at 350 for 55 minutes or until a wooden pick comes out clean. cool 15 minutes in pan on a wire rack, remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

pretty food

i just love the color of these golden zucchini.

linguine carbonara

okay, okay. this is spaghetti, but i would have used linguine if i'd had it. i also would have used pancetta and prosciutto instead of bacon if i'd planned ahead. but who doesn't love bacon? mark and i have a running joke about the 'carbonara brick' he made me while we were dating. brick being the operative word. the day before the triathalon he wanted to carbo-load (oh the terms of athletes) so i pulled out one lidia's cookbooks and decided on this, and make no mistake, though it doesn't look like much, it was fabulous. i would definitely half it next time, but the leftovers are pretty good.

6 oz thick cut bacon
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more if needed
2 large yellow onions, quartered and sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 1/2 cups hot chicken stock, or as needed (you can substitute it for 1 1/2 cups pasta water)
1 pound linguine
3 egg yolks 1 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
coarsely ground black pepper

bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil. cut bacon into 1/4 inch slices and cook in a skillet over medium heat until lightly browned but still soft in the center. about 6 minutes. the amount of fat in the skillet will vary depending on the bacon. if there is more than 3 to 4 tablespoons, pour off the excess. if there is less, add olive oil to measure 3 to 4. add the onions and cook until wilted but still crunchy, 4 to 5 minutes. add the stock, bring to a boil, and adjust the heat to a lively simmer. cook until the liquid is reduced by about half.
meanwhile, stir the linguine into the boiling water and cook until done. ladle off about a cup of the pasta water. add drained pasta to the sauce and bring it to boil, stirring to coat the pasta. check for salt, and add enough water to make enough sauce to coat the pasta generously. remove from heat and add the egg yolks, one at a time, tossing well after each. the heat from the noodles will cook them. add the grated cheese and black pepper, tossing well and serve immediately.