Just in time for the popular New Year's desire to eat more healthfully, a tasty, satisfying vegan pasta dish.  Even my husband (a committed carnivore) says 10/10 - fantastic.  In fact, he's the one that wanted me to write it up for this blog.

1 whole celery root, diced

1 medium sweet potato, julienned (about 1 c.)

2 yellow beets, julienned (about 1 c.)

4 medium carrots, julienned (about 1 c.) 

2 small parsnips, julienned (about 1/2 c.)

6 dried chile d'arbol, smashed in  a mortar and pestle 

1 lemon, zested and juiced 

1 c. shiitake, sliced 

2 T. oregano, minced

fresh beet greens from the two beets, washed and chopped

1 lb. short pasta

olive oil

kosher salt

black pepper 

Place celery root in a pan and cover with water.  Salt liberally and bring to a boil.  Cover tightly and cook until celery root is very soft.  Drain and then mash as you like (e.g. pass through a ricer, puree in a blender, mash by hand).  Whatever method you choose, be sure there are no chunks left over.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy pan over medium-high, heat a generous glug of olive oil.  Add potato, beet, parsnip, and carrot.  Sprinkle with salt and black pepper and stir to coat.  Cook for about 10 minutes until veg starts to soften.  Add zest of the lemon, chili, oregano, and shiitake.  Stir well again and continue to cook.  Partially cover with lid and cook until the veg is tender and nicely caramelized.  Mix in the beet greens and lemon juice, then cook another couple of minutes until greens are wilted.

While veg is cooking, prepare pasta in salted water according to package directions.  Drain, reserving about a cup of the cooking liquid.

Mix together pasta, celery root puree, and pan-roasted veg mixture.  Mix in a bit of the pasta cooking water as needed, until desired consistency is achieved.  

Serve in shallow bowls and top with additional olive oil.

Needing to use up a ton of Thai basil, I created this Asian "pesto" of sorts.  It's good warm, but we liked it even better at room temperature or slightly chilled.

 Asian "Pesto" with Noodles

1 c. dry roasted peanuts, plus additional for garnish

1 T. minced ginger

4 cloves garlic

2 fresh, ripe (e.g. red) cayenne peppers

2 c. (packed) thai basil

1/2 c. (packed) mint 

zest and juice of two limes 

1/3 - 1/2 c. soy sauce

2 - 3 T. fish sauce

1/2 c. canola oil

12 oz noodles of your choice (udon, soba, etc.)

In a food processor, chop first four ingredients into a fine mince.  Add herbs and, again, process well.  Add the zest and then, with the blade running, pour the juice, soy sauce, fish sauce, and finally oil through the chute.  Allow to run until the desired (for me, smooth) consistency is achieved.  Taste and adjust flavors as needed.

Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package and drain.  Return noodles to their pan and stir in pesto.  Serve in bowls with finely chopped peanuts as garnish.

Well, it's been awhile since I've posted a new recipe, but having a baby will do that!  Now that our son is 2 months old, I find myself able to make time to cook regularly and even blog about it a bit...

 I've made this white bean bruschetta for a couple of different events lately, and each time it gets rave reviews and people ask for the recipe.  So, here it is:

 White Bean Bruschetta

1 lb. dry Great Northern beans, cooked according to the package until just done (e.g. not mushy) and cooled to room temperature

4 large cloves of garlic, minced 

1 large lemon, zested and juiced

1 tsp. crushed red pepper

2-3 T. fresh oregano, chopped finely 

olive oil

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

white wine vinegar, to taste

Heat up a generous glug of olive oil in a non-stick skillet and then add the garlic.  Cook briefly until the garlic scents the kitchen and then add beans, lemon zest, lemon juice, crushed red pepper, and oregano.  Sprinkle with a good pinch of kosher salt and pepper.  Stir well to coat the beans with the oil and saute over about medium heat until the beans start to brown and crisp a bit on the outside.  Ensure that you cook the mixture long enough such that the flavors incorporate the beans are tender inside/crispy outside, and any existing liquid evaporates.  When you're happy with the consistency add a glug of vinegar, stir well again, and cook for a couple of minutes more.  Taste and add more vinegar, to taste, if necessary.  Adjust with salt and pepper, again, to taste.

 This is best served at room temperature with crostini. 

*Alternate version:  Combine the beans through pepper and allow to sit together in the fridge at least over night (or up to a week).  Bake at 500 degrees for 30 minutes +, or until the mixture is bubbling furiously and the top is nicely golden brown in places. 

My husband Eric gets credit for the idea behind this recipe.  We had some ground lamb thawed out and needed to use up some of the chard in the garden...we combined that, tossed in some herbs and chili, and ended up with a very tasty burger that was a perfect accompanyment to the Redskins kickoff.

http://www.examiner.com/x-21223-Indianapolis-Food-Examiner~y2009m9d21-Mediterranean-lamb-burgers-with-Greek-green-beans

This is fun...I sent in a family favorite recipe for publication in the Indy Star readers' column. 

 http://www.indystar.com/article/20090916/LIVING07/909160312/1272/LIVING07/Reader+recipe++Nouvelles+Pommes+de+terre+Anna

Last week we met up with Eric's grandma at the airport for lunch before her flight took off...yes, we went to the airport for lunch.  If you're questioning why, then you 1) haven't met Eric's grandma and 2) haven't been out to see what is available in terms of local food at the new terminal.

Our resounding favorite is Cafe Patachou, so we met her there.  She had chicken salad, as did Eric.  I, on the other hand, ordered egg salad.  Now, I've always loved egg salad (when prepared by someone who knows what they're doing), but this was particularly good.  So, it set me on the idea of creating my own version that was different, yet just as tasty.

We usually have eggs of some sort on Thursday nights, whether fritattas, omeletts, or something else, so the egg salad fit right into my weekly repertoire.

Here's what I came up with...we thought it was quite good, and it's endlessly variable...

http://www.examiner.com/x-21223-Indianapolis-Food-Examiner~y2009m9d18-Dinner-in-a-hurry--tarragondijon-egg-salad-sandwiches

I love swiss chard.  Really, I do.  However, I think it grows like bamboo - the more you cut it, the more it grows - on runners.  Ok, maybe not, but our chard stand is impressively overrun at the moment. 

Anyway, I make all kinds of different dishes with chard (mostly Italian in inspiration), but this particular pasta is a top favorite - both of Eric's and mine.

 It can be varied endlessly, substituting any kind of smoked pork for the bacon and any green for the chard, but we like it best as it is in this recipe.  It's a tasty combo of smoky-sweet-savory-salty.  Oh, and it holds really nicely, too, so it is a good candidate for freezing.  (It stays nice and fresh in a cold fridge for at least a week once fully cooked.)

http://www.examiner.com/x-21223-Indianapolis-Food-Examiner~y2009m9d14-My-chard-overrunneth--what-to-do-with-the-bounty

Labor day called for cheeseburgers this year.  Since we have a newly opened Moody Meats on the northside at Michigan and 106th, I had to give it a try.

Yes, their meat is more expensive.  Yes, it's worth every penny...

We dressed ours up with homemade mayo, ketchup, and pickles, but these burgers would be good plain, too.

 http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-21223-Indianapolis-Food-Examiner~y2009m9d9-Test-Kitchen--Moody-Meats

For almost a year now, I’ve been making homemade pizza at least once a week.  I’ve made about every derivation that I can think of:  traditional Italian, BBQ chicken, BLT, smoked salmon, and now, this “Hoosier Pizza Pie.”  This one is fun, and it uses fresh, seasonal ingredients from in and around our house.  If you haven’t made homemade pizza in a while (or ever), you’ve got to try it.  It’s fun and so very tasty.  I taught one of my sisters to make the dough months ago, and now it’s a super fave in her house, too…(ask my brother in law…)

Here’s the recipe for the latest incarnation:  http://www.examiner.com/x-21223-Indianapolis-Food-Examiner~y2009m9d1-Dinner-tonight–homemade-pizza