Beef stew with beans

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One thing I always have in my pantry is a bag of Hurst's 15-bean soup mix. I throw away the packet of fake ham seasoning. Then I chop up some onions, carrots and celery and get to work.

Normally I start the pot with a little bacon, but this time I used beef stew meat. Because I didn't have any bacon and I was too lazy to go out to the store again. How did it happen that I didn't have bacon and did have beef stew meat? Well...I'm not always an organized shopper. Sometimes I take my list and cross things off as they go in my cart. And sometimes I wing it and assume my little brain will be able to remember everything I need without writing it down. Which, most of the time, it can't.

I love one-pot meals, especially on weeknights. Serve this with some cut-up raw vegetables or a green salad and you're done. If you can, make this recipe a day or two in advance and let it sit in the refrigerator. It's way better after sitting for a day or two.

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Beef stew with beans

by Erika Kerekes November-30-2011

A simple thick stew with beef and mixed beans. Turn this into soup by adding more water during the cooking process.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 2-inch cubes (I like chuck roast)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 4 large stalks celery, chopped
• 1 package Hurst 15-bean soup mix (beans only)
• 1 can tomato sauce (15 ounces)
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and pepper to taste
• chopped fresh chives or parsley, for garnish

Instructions

Heat a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Spray the pot with cooking spray and add the beef in a single layer. (You may have to do this in batches, depending on the size of your pot.) Brown the beef cubes on all sides - let them get nice and crusty. Take them out of the pot and put them on a plate.Now add the onions, carrots and celery to the pot and stir to coat the vegetables with the beef juices. Saute the vegetables about 5 minutes, until they are softened and glazed with the browned beef juices and bits.Rinse the dry beans in a strainer, then dump them into the pot with the vegetables. Add back the beef plus any juices that have accumulated on the plate. Put in the tomato sauce and bay leaves plus enough water to cover everything by one inch. Bring the pot to a boil, turn the heat way down to low, cover the pot, and let it simmer about two and a half hours, until the beans are soft and the beef is fall-apart tender. Check the pot every half hour or so and add more water if it looks like the beans have absorbed it all.Season the stew with salt and pepper. Serve hot garnished with the chopped herbs.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 3 hour Total time: 3 hour 10 mins Yield: 8-10 servings

Green smoothies for breakfast

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It's time for me to develop some better eating habits. I'm not a junk food addict or a sugar nut. In fact, I'd say that overall my diet is pretty good compared with most of America. But I lean too much toward white starchy stuff (bread, pasta, rice), and I could definitely stand to eat more greens.

I'm spending the next half-year working with Rachael Pontillo of Holistically Haute, a health and wellness coach who focuses on incremental change and overall happiness and well-being. She's not a doctor and I'm not looking for a diagnosis or a prescription. I need help creating some better eating habits that, with luck, will crowd out some of the not-so-good ones. And if that comes with weight loss, so much the better.

I hate being told what to do and am resistant to "always" or "never" rules when it comes to food - in fact, I've already told Rachael I might not be her ideal client. She's been patient with me. In our first session we talked about my daily routine, typical meals, what I might be missing in my diet.

Rachael's first requests were that I drink more water, particularly first thing in the morning, and try to get in more raw greens. I'm occasionally fine with salad for breakfast, but every day? I don't think so. Rachael gave me her loose recipe for green smoothies. She drinks 16-20 ounces of this for breakfast every morning.

I don't like smoothies much, and I was kind of grossed out by the whole concept of blended kale. But, in the spirit of change, I tried it. And I liked it.

Rachael also told me not to worry so much about what I'm eating, but to try to remember how what I eat makes me feel. Know how the green smoothies make me feel? Like Superwoman. Seriously. I drink it and for two hours I've got this light, clear focus. It doesn't keep me full until lunchtime, but that's okay. The other day I had an egg sandwich for breakfast. No Superwoman feeling at all.

On the down side, the green smoothies have been a little hard on my early-morning digestion. I'm only drinking about eight ounces and will work my way up as my body adjusts.

I'll report back occasionally on the progress I'm making in my work with Rachael. Don't worry, this isn't turning into an uber-healthy blog. There will still be meat and cake. After all, it's all about incremental change and moderation.

P.S. If you're interested in Rachael's comments on this post, click here.

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Green smoothie for breakfast

by Erika Kerekes November-27-2011

A healthy way to start the day, inspired by health and wellness coach Rachael Pontillo of Holistically Haute. The fresh mint and lime take away any bitterness from the kale and dandelion greens. Freeze portions of the extra smoothie for future breakfasts.

Ingredients

• 2 bananas, peeled
• flesh of 2 avocados
• 2 cups kale, leaves only
• 1 cup dandelion greens
• 1 lime (cut away skin and use flesh, not just juice)
• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
• 2 apples, skin on, cored and cut into quarters
• 2 cups grapes

Instructions

Add all ingredients plus a little water or ice into a blender. Puree on high 2 minutes or until smooth. Serve immediately or freeze for future breakfasts.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 2 mins Total time: 12 mins Yield: about 6 servings

Chickpea salad with mushrooms and feta

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My 12-year-old son Emery has excellent eating habits. He dislikes most sweets and loves vegetables. Given the choice between fast food and Real Food Daily (a local vegan restaurant) he'll choose RFD any day.

A few days ago I bought beautiful turnip greens at the farmers' market. When I told Emery I was planning to put them into a quiche, he had a tantrum. "Why would you waste such a good vegetable by drowning it in cream and cheese?" he wailed. I argued back for a few minutes and then realized I was nuts. My kid begs to eat unadorned turnip greens and I say no? What was I thinking?

I try to pack healthy foods in my kids' lunchboxes, but apparently I wasn't doing a good enough job, because Emery came to me with a specific request: lunchbox salads. We came up with this recipe together, choosing vegetables that wouldn't get soggy and had enough heft to keep him full through the afternoon. I still packed sandwiches and yogurt for Hot Dog Boy, but Emery and I happily ate this salad for lunch for a whole week.

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Chickpea salad with portobello mushrooms and feta

by Erika Kerekes November-25-2011

A hearty salad that holds up well in a lunchbox and gets better when it sits a day or two.

Ingredients

• 2 large portobello mushroom caps
• 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
• 1 cup marinated artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped
• 1/2 large or 1 small red onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat a ridged grill pan on the stove over high heat. Lay the portobello mushroom caps in the grill pan and cook about 4 minutes on each side, until the mushrooms are well marked and softened but not mushy. (Alternatively, cook the mushrooms under a hot broiler in the oven.) Cut the mushrooms into 1-inch chunks.In a large bowl, gently mix together the mushrooms, chickpeas, chopped artichoke hearts, red onion, feta cheese, lemon juice, parsley and olive oil. Taste and season with salt and pepper - you shouldn't need much salt, because the artichoke hearts and feta are plenty salty. Let sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes before serving to let the flavors come together.

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: Total time: 20 mins Yield: 6-8 servings

Quince muffins

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If you come across quince - a lumpy, bumpy fruit that looks like a fuzzy apple - take a few home.

I hear they eat quince raw in Mexico with chili powder, salt and lime, but that's too tart for me. I prefer to peel quince and poach them in simple syrup with a squeeze of lemon and a bit of vanilla bean. The quince flesh gets soft and turns from creamy white to coral. You bite into it expecting the grainy texture of cooked pears, but instead you get toothsome velvet.

A few weeks ago I ordered a case of quince from Jim Jaffe, the produce manager at Bob's Market, a small family-owned grocery store in my neighborhood. Jim's been in the produce business a long time, and he goes to the Los Angeles wholesale produce market himself when the rest of the world is fast asleep. He knows his suppliers, knows his customers, and favors flavor over appearance when he orders. Jim takes my requests for a case of quince or sunchokes in stride. If it's in season and available, it's in the back of the store waiting for me the next day.

I overdosed on rich segments of poached quince, then pureed what was left and made muffins. Beautiful to look at, spicy and floral under the nose, delicious in the mouth.

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Quince muffins

by Erika Kerekes November-11-2011

Pureed poached quince gives these spice muffins an exotic twist. Note that the cooking time does not include preparing the poached quince, which should be done ahead.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup plus 12 slices poached quince, divided (puree 1 cup in blender)
• 1/3 cup grapeseed or canola oil
• 2 eggs
• 3 Tbsp milk
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, pureed quince, oil, eggs and milk until well combined. In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. I always put my baking soda and baking powder through a little sieve to make sure there are no lumps, but you're welcome to take your chances.Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and stir gently just to combine. The batter will be lumpy, and that's okay. Stir too much and you'll end up with hockey pucks instead of muffins.Divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups. Lay a slice of the poached quince on top of each muffin. Bake about 25 minutes, until the tops of the muffins are starting to turn golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool 2 minutes in the muffin tin, then remove the muffins and cool completely on a rack. If they last that long.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 25 mins Total time: 35 mins Yield: 12 muffins

NEW: Browse all recipes In Erika's Kitchen

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I've finally compiled a full list of all the recipes here In Erika's Kitchen. You've always been able to search by keywords or click on one of the words in the "Find It" tag cloud. Now you can also browse through a complete categorized list by clicking on "recipe index" under the green banner at the top of each page.

In case you're wondering, I created my recipe index by hand. No fancy whiz-bang apps helping out here. Just me, going post by post back through the archives, cutting and pasting each recipe title into the categories in which it belongs.

The recipes are divided thus:

• Appetizers
• Beans
• Beef
• Bread
• Cheese
• Cake
• Chocolate
• Cookies
• Drinks
• Eggs
• Fish and shellfish
• Fruit
• Muffins and biscuits
• Pasta
• Pie
• Pizza
• Pork
• Potatoes
• Poultry - chicken, turkey, duck
• Rice
• Salad
• Sauces - dips, spreads, dressings
• Sides
• Snacks
• Soup
• Truffles
• Vegetables
• Vegetarian

I learned something very interesting about my food tendencies during this project. Guess which categories had the most entries? Not the sweet stuff (cake, cookies, chocolate, pie). And not my weaknesses (pasta, rice, potatoes, bread). And not the proteins, either.

Yes, the fattest categories in my index are fruit and vegetables. Does that make In Erika's Kitchen a health food blog? Not exactly. But it does reflect my style of cooking and eating.

Note to self for 2012: Post more chocolate, chicken and pizza recipes!