spaghetti squash (csa week 9)

if you've never experienced the true magic of a spaghetti squash, i suggest you do so. seriously, go get one, roast that sh*t up and prepare yourself. truth be told, this was the first time i had ever made spaghetti squash. i know everyone raves about it but it was just one of those things i hadn't quite gotten around to making. enter csa week 9.

when i took my roasted squash out of the oven, my reaction was something like, "oh hell no, they told me this was a spaghetti squash and it just looks like a normal boring squash. so much for lunch." but then i stuck my fork in the thing and as per my internet instructions read, pulled the fork down through the thing. voila! magic, i swear. it's the simple things in life, clearly, as i spaghettified my squash with a giant grin plastered to my face.

roasted spaghetti squash
the amazing knowledge of the internet says to try and split these things before you put them in the oven. scrape out the seeds, put them on a pan face down and roast at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes, until they are tender. (i undercooked mine and then just finished them off in the microwave. you can also microwave from start to finish)
i topped mine with some marinara sauce and parmesan cheese.

microwave potato chips! (csa week 8)

i thought that this post from the kitcn looked too good to be true: homemade potato chips, fresh from the microwave in minutes. and since i'm not so much of a potato person, it seemed like the perfect time to try these out when i got some cute little purple potatoes from the csa.

i recommend slicing the potatoes thin. this results in the crispest texture. a little thicker is good too, they just turn out chewier. Just depends on your preference. I'd recommend going for the purple potatoes. They're just so much more festive than the boring regular ones.


microwave potato chips

slice potatoes thin and arrange in a single layer on top of a paper towel lined plate. microwave for three minutes at a time and reduce the power each time. keep microwaving until crisp. sprinkle on a little olive oil, salt and pepper.

weeknight dinner: eggplant, two ways (csa week 5)

a beautiful eggplant sat in my fridge. this was enough to conjure up thoughts of the book alone in the kitchen with an eggplant (read it). the problem was, that after the last eggplant (baked eggplant parmesan), i wasn't quite sure what to do with it. i was feeling antsy enough that i didn't really want something italian and didn't just want to roast or grill it. better yet, i wanted it to be easy. do i even have to say his name anymore?

so what actually happened was that i was having a rough week and to make myself feel better, decided to hang out in my kitchen alone with my eggplant and cook it two different ways (dinner for different nights). i chose to do a simple eggplant stir-fry with some csa bok choy and mark bittman's microwaved honey eggplant. and then i made a cobbler.

first the stir fry: i briefly sauteed the eggplant in some canola oil (careful, it will absorb however much you throw in there) until it was slightly soft. then i sauteed the bok choy with lots of minced garlic and some ginger. then i thew the eggplant back in, mixed everything together, threw in some oyster sauce and let it all cook for a couple more minutes. voila, how's that for instant gratification?

then the bittman recipe. this one attracted me because it had a bunch of interesting ingredients that seemed like an easy mix as well as a bit of an unusual combination. basically, you slice and score the eggplant and then coat it with a mixture of chopped parsley, honey, olive oil, garlic, and breadcrumbs. yummmmm, right?! then you sprinkle lemon juice on top and if your bittman, serve with yogurt, if you're me, goat cheese and toast. instant gratification part II. if you haven't already, definitely take a look at the microwave minimalist column.

mark bittman's microwaved honey eggplant

• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (gluten-free)
• 3 tbs olive oil
• 2 tbs honey
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• salt
• 1 large eggplant
• lemon juice
  

• combine parsley, breadcrumbs, olive oil, honey, garlic, and a pinch of salt.
• cut eggplant crosswise into 1-inch slices; score the top of each. put slices in dish and spread breadcrumb mixture over eggplant tops, pressing it into slits.
• loosely cover with waxed paper and microwave on high power for about 5 minutes. remove paper and cook another 2 or 3 minutes, until very soft. sprinkle with lemon juice and serve with yogurt (or goat cheese!) on the side.
  

gluten-free microwave cookies

there's nothing like a move to delay blogging/cooking/eating at home. for the past week (ok, more) i've been engulfed in moving type activities. when i finally got into the new apartment with my stuff (saturday), the knowledge that the gas wouldn't be turned on for four more days was almost more than i could handle. let's just take a moment to praise the housing market crash for its overabundance of leftover new buildings that cannot be filled. and therefore, people like me, get to rent units in them for a bargain price and more importantly, to experience NEW AND WONDERFUL KITCHEN APPLIANCES. in any case, the important part for you to take away from all of this is that i have a beautiful, full size stove and oven at my disposal. that means 4 working burners. not one, not two...you get the point. no more mini new york kitchen stove for me! i'm ready to get cooking! however, that was not in the cards.

after this rather traumatic weekend moving experience--to sum it up: it involved two "movers" who turned out to be weak high school students, an amazing part time boxer/mover who saved my life, and an angry landlord knocking on the door of my old apartment while i frantically cleaned and painted--The Baker decided i needed her to come over and make me cookies to help recoup. (isn't it awesome how i have all of these baker friends?! i suggest you try it.) so The Baker came over to make cookies but alas, we couldn't use the oven. that left just two things: the microwave and the george foreman.

i can hear my mom now, "blasphemy! you can't make cookies in the microwave!" another baker...go figure...but here's the thing, i really needed those cookies. and there didn't seem to be any reason to think that it would be a complete disaster. who doesn't eat the cookie dough? so what could you possibly do to it to make it taste bad??!!

our cookie dough of choice was The Baker's own goober puff. now you may know that i'm not so into blogging out my friends favorite recipes. they are theirs to do with what they wish. so i'm just going to tell you that i really think this method would work with any cookie dough (just to note: ours was wheat/gluten-free and on the firmer side) and you can read the tollhouse chocolate chip cookie recipe below.

no gas cookie method number 1: the microwave
a warning here: these cookies will not look like they've been cooked (you know that whole microwave cooks from the inside out and is incapable of browning thing). they seemed a bit on the drier side the first time we did them. 30 seconds on a greased plate in my new powerful microwave seemed to be just right. still a bit on the drier side which gave them a muffin like texture.

no gas cookie method number 2: the george foreman (and they totally doubted me on this one. just for the record.)
grilled cookies?! YUM! these ones got crusty on the outside and were still moist on the inside. the george automatically smooshes the dough down pretty evenly which makes for a lovely cookie.


the goober puff uses a combination of almond flour and oats. find almond flour recipes here.
or:

ye olde faithful nestle toll house chocolate chip cookie recipe

• 1 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (i, of course, use spelt)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar (recipe says to split the regular sugar and brown sugar evenly but i like a little extra brown sugar)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large eggs
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
  

• preheat oven to 375° f.
• cream butter and sugar.
• add egg and vanilla, mix well.
• mix in flour, baking soda and salt until combined.
• stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
• bake tablespoon sized drops of batter for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.