Lemon herb tahini dressing - keto, paleo, Whole30

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There's a Mediterranean make-your-own-bowl place near my office that makes this incredibly good lemon herb tahini salad dressing I can't get enough of. Here's my homemade version. It's a lot greener than the original, which I suspect is because I use fresh herbs and they use dried.

Lemon Herb Tahini Dressing is the perfect condiment for anyone eating keto, Paleo or Whole30. I like it spooned over roast chicken, fish, shrimp, steak, and lamb chops (OH MY GOD IT IS SO GOOD ON LAMB). It thickens as it sits in the refrigerator, so you can use it as a dip for veggies or chips. It's also excellent on zucchini, cauliflower, potatoes, and scrambled eggs.

Basically, everything.

All you need is a blender and a few simple, fresh ingredients. It's ready in less than five minutes and keeps for about 10 days in the refrigerator. It's one of my staples now. You're going to love it!

Yield: 12Author: Erika Kerekes

Lemon Herb Tahini Dressing

Lemon Herb Tahini Dressing takes five minutes to make and is the perfect sauce for chicken, fish, shrimp, steak, lamb, zucchini, cauliflower, eggs and more. Fresh herbs and lemon give it a bright color and zingy flavor.

ingredients:

• 2 lemons
• 1 clove garlic
• 4 cups fresh green herbs (any combination of parsley, cilantro, dill, mint, chives, basil)
• 1 cup tahini
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Water (to achieve correct consistency)

instructions:

1. Zest the lemons.  Cut the pith off the outside and discard. Cut the lemons in half crosswise and discard the seeds. You will be using the whole lemon fruit, not just the juice.
2. Wash the herbs (no need to dry them).
3. Put the lemon zest, lemon flesh, herbs, tahini and olive oil into the blender. Blend until smooth.
4. Add water until the dressing has the consistency of heavy cream.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Store in an airtight jar or container in the refrigerator. Keeps up to 10 days.

Created using The Recipes Generator

Fresh corn tortillas with zucchini flowers

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My specialty is making food that tastes good. I'm not quite so skilled when it comes to making food that's beautiful.

But when I saw these stunning fresh corn tortillas with zucchini flowers on Girl + Fire a few years back, I thought I'd take a shot. And guess what? It wasn't actually that hard.

I love zucchini season and have created a ton of favorite zucchini recipes over the years. This is one of them.

These tortillas with zucchini flowers aren't something I'm choosing to eat right now, but remember, I also cook for my family, and they don't need to restrict their foods just because I am.

I've become a big fan of Maseca corn flour and now keep a bag in my pantry at all times. Mix Maseca with water to make dough, roll the dough into golf balls, press each one thin in a tortilla press, a minute in a nonstick skillet, and presto - tortillas. For a girl from Long Island who tasted her first tortilla long after her first legal margarita, it's pretty magical. 

You can use either waxed paper or plastic wrap to line the tortilla press and keep the tortillas from sticking to the press. If you don't have a tortilla press, I bet you could use the back of a heavy skillet and do it on the kitchen counter. (I haven't tried it, though, because a tortilla press is pretty easy to come by here in Los Angeles.)

If you can't find zucchini flowers, any edible flower will do, or try a branch or two of tarragon, chive flowers, a few sprigs of dill, thin strips of roasted bell pepper, or sliced olives. 

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Fresh corn tortillas with zucchini flowers

by Erika Kerekes February-13-2012

Fresh corn tortillas are easy and quick to make. Press edible zucchini blossoms into the tortillas for a dramatic presentation. Look for zucchini flowers at gourmet grocery stores or local farmers markets.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Maseca corn flour
• about 1 1/4 cups water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 12-16 zucchini flowers, washed and gently patted dry

Instructions

In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the Maseca and water until a soft dough forms. It should be moist but not sticky. Roll the dough into balls about 2 inches in diameter, somewhere between a walnut and a golf ball. Cover the dough balls with a damp towel or a piece of plastic wrap to keep them from drying out.Line a tortilla press with waxed paper or plastic wrap. Place one dough ball on the press, put another piece of waxed paper or plastic wrap on top, and press down to flatten the tortilla. Lift the press, put one flower on the tortilla, replace the paper or plastic, and press down again gently to embed the flower into the raw tortilla.Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the tortilla until dry and cooked through, flipping to make sure both sides are cooked. Move the finished tortilla to a plate and cover with aluminum foil to keep it warm. Continue with the rest of the tortilla dough and zucchini flowers. While one tortilla is cooking, press the next so it is waiting when the pan is empty. Serve warm.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 30 mins Total time: 40 mins Yield: 12-16 6-inch tortillas

Oven-baked parsnip fries

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Oven-roasted vegetables cut into sticks, like these baked parsnip fries, have gotten my kids to eat a ton of vegetables without complaint over the years.

I don't believe in hiding vegetables for kids. I puree them into soup (cauliflower soup, celery soup, even lettuce soup). I sauce them up with cheese (zucchini rice casserole, zucchini gratin). I shred them or chop them and fry them up into pancakes (bacon corn fritters, spinach pancakes, zucchini fritters). These are vegetables transformed, not disguised. I see this as a completely legitimate way to get kids to eat more vegetables.

And yes, I know my kids are teenagers. Sometimes they still need a reminder.

I'm also a fan of trompe l'oeil. Inside an old European cathedral, this artistic technique, literally translated from the French as "fools the eye," means wood painted to look like marble. In my kitchen, trompe l'oeil means vegetables other than white potatoes cut and cooked like french fries.

I have nothing against potatoes - in fact, it's my family's overwhelming love for potatoes that makes this slick family-feeding technique possible in the first place. I've made "fake fries" out of carrots, sweet potatoes, kohlrabi, turnips, black radishes, zucchini and broccoli stems. Cut in batons, toss with olive oil and salt, oven-roast on a baking sheet until brown and crisp. If you can pick it up with your fingers and dip it in Not Ketchup, it's a winner with my family.

My favorite french fry substitute is the sweet, pale parsnip, whose sugars concentrate and flavors intensify exponentially when prepared this way. I don't eat a lot of starchy vegetables at the moment, but I've been known to make these for dinner and eat the whole batch standing at the counter before I've even called the kids to the table. No one loves fries more than I do.

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Baked parsnip fries

by Erika Kerekes October-17-2011

A great alternative to traditional french fries, these parsnip fries bake up sweet and crispy.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds parsnips, washed and peeled
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.Cut the parsnips into batons. It doesn't really matter exactly how you do it, but you're looking to get the pieces more or less the same size so they cook at the same speed. Parsnips tend to be much thicker at the top than at the root end, so this may take some creative cutting. No need to be obsessive about it; do the best you can.Scatter the parsnip batons on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle over the olive oil, and sprinkle on the salt. Using your hands, toss the parsnip pieces until the oil and salt are well distributed. Spread the parsnip pieces out into a single layer.Roast the parsnip fries 20-30 minutes, checking every 10 minutes and, if you like, tossing them around with a spatula once or twice to brown them evenly. Take them out when they've got nice brown edges and spots, but don't let them burn - blackened parsnip fries are bitter (and yes, I speak from experience). Serve immediately.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 30 mins Total time: 40 mins Yield: 4-6 servings

Truffled white bean puree

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Photo: Lynne Hemer, Cook and Be Merry

I'm often in need of a quick, elegant hors d'oeuvre to keep guests busy and on the other side of the counter while I'm finishing dinner preparations in the kitchen.

I like this truffled white bean puree because it's simple, I can make it ahead, and it's an unusual combination that raises the eyebrows a bit.

You could serve it with crackers or toasted pita bread triangles, but I love making tiny cups out of cucumbers. Buy small Persian cucumbers - the ones with the thin skin you don't have to peel - and hollow out a little divot with a melon baller. You can make these a few hours ahead and store them in the refrigerator in a zip-top bag, between layers of damp paper towels.

If you can't get your hands on a fresh truffle to grate on top (or the budget doesn't allow it), buy a tiny jar of truffle salt and use that instead. You'll get the same flavor, although not the same visual.

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Truffled White Bean Puree

by Erika Kerekes May-22-2015

This appetizer couldn't be easier: White beans pureed with lemon and truffle oil. Serve in tiny cucumber cups or with crackers.

Ingredients

• 1 15-ounce can white cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 lemon, juice and zest
• 1 tablespoon truffle oil
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 6 Persian cucumbers
• 1 black truffle, fresh or canned

Instructions

Make the bean puree: Put the beans, lemon juice, lemon zest, and truffle oil into the bowl of a food processor. Process until very smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to let the flavors blend. (Can be made 1 day ahead; store covered and refrigerated.)Make the cucumber cups: Wash and thoroughly dry the cucumbers. Cut off the ends, then slice the cucumbers into 1-inch rounds. Using a small melon baller or the tip of a very small spoon, hollow out one side of each cucumber slice, being careful not to cut all the way through. You'll end up with a fingertip-sized depression in each slice.Transfer the bean puree into a piping bag, or use a zip-top bag with the corner snipped off. Pipe a swirl of the truffled bean puree into each cucumber cup. Grate a little of the truffle on top of each piece. Serve immediately.

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: Total time: 20 mins Yield: 10 servings

5-minute cucumber salad

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Today I'm sharing with you my 5-minute cucumber salad - a side dish for days when you need to get some vegetables on the table and there's no way in hell you're actually going to have time to cook anything.

(Just to be clear, that's 5 minutes of active time. It does need to sit and marinate for at least 5 minutes at room temperature, or 20 minutes in the refrigerator.)

Peeling, seeding and chopping the cucumbers is the most time-consuming part of making this cucumber salad. You can make it a 3-minute cucumber salad if you use English cucumbers or Persian cucumbers, which need neither peeling nor seeding.

If you have 6 minutes, toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet before adding them to the salad. I never seem to have that sixth minute, though. I can assure you that the sesame seeds taste fine straight from the container. If you want to be really fancy, get the shaker with the mixed black and white sesame seeds.

This is one of my favorite simple salads. Yesterday my 16-year-old son and I stood at the counter eating it with our fingers. Don't judge.

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5-Minute Cucumber Salad

by Erika Kerekes April-3-2015

A simple marinated cucumber salad with rice wine vinegar, sesame oil and sesame seeds. Make it even more quickly by using Persian or English cucumbers, which need neither peeling nor seeding. That's 5 minutes of active time, by the way: You do want to let the salad sit for a few minutes to let the flavors get friendly.

Ingredients

• 3 large cucumbers
• 1/2 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon (optional) sugar
• 3 Tablespoons sesame seeds

Instructions

Peel the cucumbers. Cut them in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds using a teaspoon. Cut the cucumbers into 1/2-inch slices.Put the cucumbers in a zip-top plastic bag. Add the rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, salt, and sugar (if using). Close the bag, squeezing out as much air as possible.Let the cucumber salad sit at room temperature for 5 minutes or in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.Sprinkle with the sesame seeds before serving. Serve chilled.NOTE: The cucumbers will get more flavorful the longer the salad marinates. Keep the cucumber salad in the refrigerator for up to three days. By the third day the cucumbers will have lost much of their crunch, but the flavor will be great.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 5 mins Total time: 10 mins Yield: 6 servings

Falafel stuffed mushrooms and the joy of unexpected visitors

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We live in a drop-in house.

I know some people hate drop-in visits. I love them. They remind me of college, four happy years of back-to-back unexpected visitors.

It helps that I'm not embarrassed by the mess that is my house. I assume friends will understand the Not Ketchup chaos. I'll clean up when I'm a millionaire.

This past Saturday morning our friends G and N popped in during their morning walk around the neighborhood. We chatted over coffee and pomegranates until I had to rush out to a meeting. What would I have done with that half-hour had they not stopped by? Nothing as interesting as visiting with them, I'm sure.

My neighbor S comes by with her toddlers, too. The last time they came down to my office, unfortunately, I was on a call and couldn't stop to play. But most of the time I am delighted for a few minutes of kid time.

I feed people when they drop in. These falafel stuffed mushrooms are the perfect snack for drop-in visitors: They're easy, quick, healthy and delicious.

Note: Look for prepared falafel mix in the ethnic section of major grocery stores or in Middle Eastern markets. The recipe states 55 minutes total, but the first half hour is mostly waiting for the falafel mix to be ready to scoop and the rest is baking time, so you have plenty of time to visit with your guests.

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Falafel stuffed mushrooms

by Erika Kerekes October-15-2014

This vegan snack is easy, fast, healthy and delicious. Using boxed falafel mix makes preparation even quicker.

Ingredients

• 1 cup boxed prepared falafel mix
• 3/4 cup water
• 12 large white mushrooms
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup tahini (prepared, from the jar; optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.In a small mixing bowl, combine the falafel mix and water. Stir to combine, then let rest at room temperature 30-60 minutes.While the falafel mixture is resting, wash the mushrooms and remove the stems. Pat the mushroom caps dry with paper towels.Pour 2 Tablespoons of olive oil into a baking dish and swirl to coat the bottom. Add the mushrooms to the dish and turn them over with your hands, making sure the mushrooms are coated with the oil. Sprinkle the mushroom caps with salt.Using a small spoon, scoop out about 1 Tablespoon of the falafel mixture and mound it into a mushroom cap, smoothing the top with the back of the spoon or your fingers. Repeat with the remaining falafel mixture and mushroom caps. Drizzle the remaining 1 Tablespoon olive oil over the tops of the stuffed mushrooms.Bake the mushrooms about 25 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender and the falafel is cooked through and golden brown on top. Drizzle with the tahini if desired and serve warm.

Details

Prep time: 30 mins Cook time: 25 mins Total time: 55 mins Yield: 4-6 servings

Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup tofu steaks

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The men in my household probably could live on meat alone. But sometimes I need a lighter option and a meat-free meal. They go out for burgers. I eat tofu.

I love a good tofu steak. Searing the tofu gets it crispy on the outside, but the interior stays nice and creamy. But you still need some flavor - which is where the Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup came in. Sweet, tangy and just a little spicy, the Not Ketchup proved the perfect sauce for my seared tofu steaks.

Serve these with brown rice, farro, quinoa, or another healthy grain for a hearty, delicious vegetarian meal.

Want to know more about Not Ketchup, my new line of gourmet fruit ketchups? Click here. 

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Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup Tofu Steaks

by Erika Kerekes March-10-2014

Seared tofu steaks take a bath in Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup in this sweet, tangy, slightly spicy vegetarian entree. Don't worry about the exact size of your tofu blocks - as long as they're the right thickness, it doesn't matter how big they are.

Ingredients

• 2 blocks firm tofu, approximately 4"x4"x2"
• 2 teaspoons grapeseed or canola oil
• 1/2 cup Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup, plus more for serving

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.Cut the tofu in half horizontally, so you have 4 pieces, each of which is approximately 4"x4"x1". Put several layers of paper towels on a cutting board and lay the tofu squares on top in a single layer. Cover with more paper towels, then put a sheet pan or another cutting board on top. Weight down the top of the pile with a large can of tomatoes or beans. (This will help draw some of the extra water out of the tofu.) Leave to drain for 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours.Heat an ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the oil, then lay the tofu steaks in the pan. Cook without moving the tofu for about 2 minutes, until the underside is golden brown and crusty.Flip the tofu steaks and pour over the Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup, spreading the Not Ketchup with the back of a spoon so the tofu steaks are completely covered. Put the skillet in the oven and bake 15 minutes.Remove the tofu steaks from the oven. Serve hot with additional Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup if desired.

Details

Prep time: 30 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 50 mins Yield: 2 servings

Feeding the sick: Green juice for Hot Dog Boy

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Let's just get this straight: Hot Dog Boy is the last kid on earth you'd expect to drink green juice willingly.

But when he came down with a cold straight after a week that included few vegetables but lots of milkshakes, burgers, pizza, candy, and cookies, I went straight for the blender.

I try not to police what my kids eat. When you're 11, sometimes a week of Mom's-out-of-town-and-then-too-busy-to-cook pizza runs straight into a sleepover and then two evening concerts with treat-laden intermission snack tables. I understand this.

But at some point we all have to get back on track.

I make green smoothies for my husband; there's a bottle in the refrigerator most of the time. But I've had my personal ups and downs with green smoothies. Michael likes the texture. I prefer them strained, closer to juice.

This is our standard green smoothie. If Hot Dog Boy will drink it with a smile on his face, your kids will too.

P.S. This recipe is designed for a large, high-powered blender like my Vitamix. If you have a smaller blender, cut the recipe in half or you'll end up with Green Counters instead of Green Juice.

P.P.S. Hot Dog Boy really does eat a lot of fruits and vegetables these days. He might need a new nickname.

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Green juice for Hot Dog Boy

by Erika Kerekes October-22-2013

A refreshing green smoothie with spinach or kale, cucumbers, apples, grapes, lime, and honey. Strain it for green juice or leave as is for a green smoothie. This recipe is designed for a large blender like my Vitamix; halve it if you have a smaller blender.

Ingredients

• 1 6-ounce bag baby spinach (substitute equal amount of baby kale)
• 2 Granny Smith apples, unpeeled, cored and cut into chunks
• 1/2 large English cucumber, unpeeled, cut into chunks
• 1 lime, peel cut away (use entire flesh)
• 3 cups green grapes
• 2 Tablespoons honey, or to taste
• 1/2 cup water

Instructions

Place all ingredients in the container of a high-powered blender. (If your blender is small, blend in batches.) Blend until very smooth, about 1 minute in my Vitamix. Serve chilled, either as is or strained through a fine-mesh strainer.

Details

Prep time: 6 mins Cook time: 1 mins Total time: 6 mins Yield: approximately 2 liters

Santa Rosa plum jam

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The first thing I did when my husband and I bought our house in Santa Monica 17 years ago was to plant fruit trees in the backyard.

The house came with an old avocado tree, a scraggly lemon tree, and a dwarf fig tree. I put in lime, tangerine, Meyer lemon, kumquat.

Most of which died. Turns out the huge eucalyptus tree we removed when we moved in did something nasty to the soil, and baby trees don't like eucalyptus oil.

But the Santa Rosa plum tree I put in about five years ago has held its own. Last year it gave us three plums. I was encouraged.

This year we got a cool dozen and a half plums. All of which ripened at once. So I cut them up, added some sugar and boiled them down into a gem-colored jam that looks and tastes like a southern California sunset during fire season, all flame-red and intense.

Santa Rosa plums are hard to find outside California. They're thin-skinned and turn soft as soon as they ripen, so shipping them is nearly impossible. But you'll never find a plum that tastes more like a plum than a Santa Rosa. If you see them, grab them.

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Santa Rosa plum jam

by Erika Kerekes July-17-2013

Fruit, sugar and heat: That's all you need to make this Santa Rosa plum jam. If you can't find Santa Rosas, substitute another tart, purple-skinned plum.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Santa Rosa plums, pitted and chopped (weigh after removing pits)
• 2 cups granulated sugar

Instructions

In a medium-sized pot, combine the chopped plums with the sugar. Let sit 5 minutes. Bring the plum mixture to a boil, then quickly turn down the heat to medium (not low) and cook the jam about 20 minutes, until the syrup has thickened and the bubbles coming to the top are big and viscous. Turn off the heat and puree the jam with a hand-held immersion blender, or pour the mixture into a countertop blender or food processor and blend until smooth.Immediately pour the jam into a clean jar or other glass container. Cover, let cool on the counter, then refrigerate until chilled. Use within 4 weeks. (Alternatively, you can process the jam in a water bath according to standard canning methods - I'm just way too lazy.)

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 20 mins Total time: 30 mins Yield: about 2 1/2 cups

Grapefruit guacamole - it won't turn brown!

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Last week I made a delicious, miraculous guacamole that will not turn brown.

This guacamole hung around for almost a week in a normal plastic container in the refrigerator and it barely discolored at all. (It lasted because I made a huge batch and we were out of tortilla chips, not because it wasn't good. Just in case you were wondering.)

I assume the secret is the grapefruit flesh. I love grapefruit, so I added the flesh of two beautiful pink grapefruits straight to the guacamole.

You do need to know how to supreme a grapefruit. It's not hard, though: You cut off the ends, carefully cut away the rind, and then slip your knife in along the membranes to loosen the flesh. This video illustrates the process pretty well:


This is a very simple guacamole: avocado, grapefruit, green onions, salt. It's also quite beautiful if you use pink grapefruit because you can see the little pink bits poking out among the light green avocado and darker green onions.

We ate this grapefruit guacamole alongside oven-roasted salmon, with multiple quesadillas, and on sandwiches with smoked salmon and cucumber. Even my grapefruit-wary kids loved it!

Thanks to the California Avocado Commission for sending me a flat of delicious ripe California avocados to play with!

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Grapefruit guacamole

by Erika Kerekes May-15-2013

A simple and delicious guacamole that won't turn brown. The secret ingredient: pink grapefruit.

Ingredients

• 6 ripe avocados
• 2 pink grapefruits
• 2 cups green onions, chopped (1 bunch)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

Instructions

Cut the avocados in half and remove the pits. Scoop the avocado flesh into a large bowl and mash it with a fork or a potato masher.Supreme the grapefruits: Cut off the ends, the peel, and the white pith. Hold a grapefruit over the bowl with the avocado, then cut between the membranes, releasing the flesh of the grapefruit segments into the bowl. When you've cut all the grapefruit flesh away from the membrane, squeeze the membranes to extract all the remaining juice. Repeat with the other grapefruit. Mash the grapefruit flesh gently into the avocados; you want to retain some chunks, but most of the grapefruit should break up and mix in with the avocado.Stir in the green onions and salt, then mix to combine. Taste and add more salt if desired.Serve immediately. Note: Can be held in the refrigerator in a plastic container up to 5 days without significant discoloration.

Details

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 5 mins Total time: 21 mins Yield: 10+ servings

Homemade oatmeal bread with flax seeds

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I have been on a bread-baking tear lately. A rampage, even. I don't think a day has gone by in the past month when there has not been homemade oatmeal bread on the counter.

Why oatmeal bread? I've tried many combinations of grains for homemade bread. My former favorite homemade bread recipe combines white flour, whole wheat flour, wheat germ and cornmeal. But this version, with rolled oats, white flour and flax seeds, seems to be my family's hands-down favorite.

The trick to good bread at home is to ignore all that crap most bread recipes spout about satin-smooth dough that feels like a baby's bottom.

The best bread comes from dough that is so wet it is impossible to knead. It does not clean the bowl when you mix it in the stand mixer. You cannot punch it down and fold it. It is loose and wet, like muffin batter.

Wet dough looks like a blob on the counter but, after an hour in a heavy pot in the oven, turns into bread with a golden thick crust and a moist, flavorful interior. Let it rise a good long time. Don't worry if it seems like a shaggy mess and sticks to your fingers when you try to shape it. All will be well.

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Homemade oatmeal bread with flax seeds

by Erika Kerekes February-8-2013

This recipe turns out beautiful loaves of artisan-style bread, with a thick crust, chewy interior and sourdough-like flavor.

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
• 1/4 teaspoon honey
• 2 1/2 cups warm water (approximate)
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup flax seeds
• 1 Tablespoon salt

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the yeast, honey and 1/2 cup warm water. Stir with a spoon and let stand 5 minutes. The yeast will "bloom" and start to foam. As soon as you see the yeast activating, move on to the next step.Add the oatmeal, all-purpose flour, flax seeds and salt to the bowl. Fit the mixer with the dough hook and turn it to low. With the mixer running, start adding the warm water in a slow stream. Stop now and then to let the mixer distribute the water among the dry ingredients. Keep adding water until the dough comes together. It should be wet and should NOT pull away from the sides of the bowl completely - you're looking for the texture of thick muffin batter. The dough will require different amounts of water on different days - the weather affects this - so don't be afraid to use more if you need to.When all the ingredients are incorporated and the dough is clearly one single entity but still very wet, let the mixer run for 5 minutes. (This will start to develop the gluten.) After 5 minutes, stop the mixer, remove the dough hook, remove the bowl from the mixer, cover it with plastic wrap, and stick it in a warm place for 12 hours or overnight. The dough will rise a bit and get bubbly.After 12 hours or the next morning, scatter some all-purpose flour on your counter and spray a sheet of parchment paper with cooking spray. Using a spatula or dough scraper, carefully turn the dough out of the bowl onto the counter, trying to disturb its bubbly structure as little as possible. Sprinkle a little more flour on top and, using your hands, gather the ends of the dough toward the center of the pile, making a rough "ball" (in quotation marks because the dough will be very loose and will be more of a blob than a ball). With the "seam" side down, set the blob of dough onto the prepared parchment paper. Spray a piece of plastic wrap with cooking spray and loosely tent that over the dough. Leave the blob of dough on the counter for about 2 hours. It won't really rise, but it will expand a bit - that's fine.While the blob is resting, put a cast iron or heavy enameled covered Dutch oven into your oven and turn the heat to 450. Yes, you want to heat the pot with the oven.When the blob has finished resting and the oven is hot, carefully remove the pot from the oven and take off the lid. Carefully lift the parchment and plop the whole thing into the pot, paper and all. Cover the pot immediately and return it to the oven. Bake covered for 30 minutes, then remove the lid and bake the loaf uncovered another 20-25 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pot and cool on a rack or board at least 30 minutes before cutting.

Details

Prep time: 14 hour Cook time: 1 hour Total time: 15 hour Yield: 1 large loaf

Postcard from Carmel: Fried garbanzos with truffle salt at Mundaka

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Day one of my "girlfriend getaway" to California's central coast with fellow food bloggers Patti Londre (Worth the Whisk) and Dorothy Reinhold (Shockingly Delicious) and we're happy and well fed.

At last night's dinner at Mundaka in Carmel, these fried garbanzos with truffle salt were the surprise hit of the evening. Crisp on the outside, soft and melting on the inside, warm with just a hint of white truffle. Forget truffled popcorn - we ate the whole bowl of these truffled fried garbanzos and made embarrassing moaning noises the whole time. Not sure what the table next to us was thinking....

Chef Brandon Miller soaks dried garbanzo beans over night, simmers them until soft with a clove-studded onion and strips of lemon zest, then deep-fries them in hot peanut oil (375 degrees) and dusts with truffle salt. His favorite truffle salt is Fusion White Truffle Salt, which he buys across the street from the restaurant at Sur La Table. Miller keeps the garbanzos soaking in water until just before frying, which helps crisp the exterior of the beans without letting the oil penetrate too deeply. He hasn't tried canned garbanzo beans but thinks they would work fine (rinse thoroughly before frying).

Are you wondering whether these fried garbanzos might make an appearance at this year's Trufflepalooza? I'm already on it.

Perfect roasted potatoes

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Most people make mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving. I do like mashed potatoes, but when it's my turn to make Thanksgiving dinner I sometimes opt for roasted potatoes instead of mashed.

Why roasted potatoes? I like the contrast between the chewy skin, creamy interior and crisp salty crust. I also find them easier than mashed potatoes because you aren't fussing with them at the last minute.

My roasted potatoes were only okay until I learned the secret of perfect roasted potatoes from Gisele Perez, owner of Small Pleasures Catering here in Los Angeles and a fellow food blogger at Pain Perdu. Here's the secret: After you cut them in half and toss them with olive oil and salt, you have to put them on the tray cut-side down. 

Duh. Can't believe I hadn't figured that out. (But thanks, Gisele, for improving my roasted potatoes forever.)

My favorite potatoes to use for this: Melissa's Baby Dutch Yellow Potatoes, which are just the right size and bake up perfectly. Any small potatoes will do, though. Costco sometimes has big bags of yellow, red and purple fingerling potatoes. Those work fine with this roasting method and are extremely pretty.

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Perfect roasted potatoes

by Erika Kerekes November-18-2012

There's a very simple secret to roasting these baby potatoes so they're crisp and chewy on the outside while the inside stays creamy and soft: Put them on the baking sheet cut-side down.

Ingredients

• 1 pound baby yellow potatoes
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray or rub it with a thin film of olive oil.Wash the potatoes well and cut them in half lengthwise - you want the cut side to have as much surface area as possible. Put them in a big bowl and add the olive oil and salt. Toss well to make sure all of the potato surfaces are coated with the oil.Tip the potatoes onto the baking sheet and turn them over so they are all cut-side down. Slide the baking sheet into the oven and bake until the potatoes are soft, the skins are wrinkled and the cut sides of the potatoes are golden brown, 30-40 minutes. Pile the potatoes into a bowl and serve immediately.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 40 mins Total time: 50 mins Yield: 4-6 servings