...it's a dish, not a description of his legs ;) I have been a huge fan of Jacques Pepin since I first saw him cooking alongside Julia Child. It was a great introduction to traditional French cooking in a no fuss way.  His show Fast Food My Way continues what he started with the esteemed Julia, maybe with a bit less butter. I have made these chicken thighs on several occasions and it is still hard for me to believe that such a great tasting recipe can be so simple. Here are the ingredients:

• 4 chicken thighs, skin on
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 3 cups white mushrooms, washed and diced
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon chives, chopped

The procedure for this dish can be found at The Serious Eats Recipes blog. I recently served this on a bed of couscous along with some roasted asparagus for an elegant dinner. No one knew that I did not slave over this all day.

Yesterday, I posted the faux-tandoori chicken from last night's dinner, as well as the greens, up on Saturday's Mouse.  Here's the garlic naan side dish that became the star of the show.

There are a ton of naan recipes floating around there, with wide-ranging ingredients and prep methods. I read a lot of them. Some call for just flour and water, others are more complicated. They're cooked in frying pans and on pizza stones, over open flames, etc. The goal is fast high heat.

I started with two tablespoons of warm water and a teaspoon of honey, mixed together until well incorporated and then swished in a tablespoon of yeast and waited for it to get fluffy.



Then I added a half cup of whole wheat flour, a cup of white all purpose flour, two tablespoons of yogurt, a half a cup of milk, a pinch of salt and a half teaspoon of garlic powder. And turned on the machine.



It was sticky. Shapeless. Un-ballable. I added a dusting of additional flour. And another dusting. I used close to two cups here, in total. It was really sticky. It was a very hot and humid day. I rolled it into a sticky and imperfect ball, covered it and left it t rise for two hours.



I don't have a picture of the risen ball, but it fluffed up nicely. We divided it into five balls (aimed for six, got distracted).



The dough was still super sticky at this point, so the naan-balls went on a baking sheet spritzed with olive oil and covered with a towel.

We preheated a cast iron stove-top grill to medium-high, and rolled the balls out flat. I also melted some butter with grated garlic to brush on top of these mid-way through cooking. I spritzed the grill with olive oil and laid on the naan. It sizzled immediately, and began to bubble.



After about two minutes, I flipped them over. The first side had nice grill marks and the whole bread was starting to feel firm. Of course, this will vary based on your cooking technique and temperature.



After both sides have light grill marks and it feels like cooked bread, brush on the garlic butter, flip the bread butter side down and grill another 30 seconds or so...flip again, brush again, flip garlic side down and give it another 30 seconds. You want the bread to be white overall with grill marks.



Mmm. Naan. This was super-soft and fluffy inside with the right amount of crisp on the surface and a decent chewiness.

This recipe is cross-posted at Saturday’s Mouse, where I’m working on making food out of food.

 Garlic Naan

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast


• 2 tablespoons warm water


• 1 teaspoon honey


• 2 tablespoons low fat yogurt


• 1/2 cup skim milk


• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour


• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (divided)


• 1 teaspoon garlic powder


• dash kosher salt


• 2 cloves garlic (minced)


• 2 tablespoons butter (melted)

Instructions

• Mix water and honey until well incorporated. Add yeast and let proof 10 minutes or until foamy.


• Add in all other ingredients - being cautious with the AP flour. Start with 1 cup AP flour and add more if needed.


• Knead by hand 10 minutes or in mixer for 5-7. Form into a ball. If too sticky, add more flour.


• Cover and let rise in a warm place for 2 hours until doubled. Mix butter and garlic, and warm.


• Divide into 6 or so balls. Roll out flat, to about a quarter inch thicknesss.


• Preheat stove top grill (or actual grill). Grease grill lightly.


• Grill each flatbread for 2 minutes or so until firm with grill marks. Flip over and grill other side. Then brush each with garlic butter and grill each side for another 30 seconds or so, until soft but crispy.

Yesterday, I posted the faux-tandoori chicken from last night's dinner, as well as the greens, up on Saturday's Mouse.  Here's the garlic naan side dish that became the star of the show. There are a ton of naan recipes floating around there, with wide-ranging ingredients and prep methods. I read a lot of them. Some call for just flour and water, others are more complicated. They're cooked in frying pans and on pizza stones, over open flames, etc. The goal is fast high heat. I started with two tablespoons of warm water and a teaspoon of honey, mixed together until well incorporated and then swished in a tablespoon of yeast and waited for it to get fluffy. Then I added a half cup of whole wheat flour, a cup of white all purpose flour, two tablespoons of yogurt, a half a cup of milk, a pinch of salt and a half teaspoon of garlic powder. And turned on the machine. It was sticky. Shapeless. Un-ballable. I added a dusting of additional flour. And another dusting. I used close to two cups here, in total. It was really sticky. It was a very hot and humid day. I rolled it into a sticky and imperfect ball, covered it and left it t rise for two hours. I don't have a picture of the risen ball, but it fluffed up nicely. We divided it into five balls (aimed for six, got distracted). The dough was still super sticky at this point, so the naan-balls went on a baking sheet spritzed with olive oil and covered with a towel. We preheated a cast iron stove-top grill to medium-high, and rolled the balls out flat. I also melted some butter with grated garlic to brush on top of these mid-way through cooking. I spritzed the grill with olive oil and laid on the naan. It sizzled immediately, and began to bubble. After about two minutes, I flipped them over. The first side had nice grill marks and the whole bread was starting to feel firm. Of course, this will vary based on your cooking technique and temperature. After both sides have light grill marks and it feels like cooked bread, brush on the garlic butter, flip the bread butter side down and grill another 30 seconds or so...flip again, brush again, flip garlic side down and give it another 30 seconds. You want the bread to be white overall with grill marks. Mmm. Naan. This was super-soft and fluffy inside with the right amount of crisp on the surface and a decent chewiness. This recipe is cross-posted at Saturday’s Mouse, where I’m working on making food out of food.  Garlic Naan Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons warm water
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 2 tablespoons low fat yogurt
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (divided)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• dash kosher salt
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 2 tablespoons butter (melted)

Instructions

• Mix water and honey until well incorporated. Add yeast and let proof 10 minutes or until foamy.
• Add in all other ingredients - being cautious with the AP flour. Start with 1 cup AP flour and add more if needed.
• Knead by hand 10 minutes or in mixer for 5-7. Form into a ball. If too sticky, add more flour.
• Cover and let rise in a warm place for 2 hours until doubled. Mix butter and garlic, and warm.
• Divide into 6 or so balls. Roll out flat, to about a quarter inch thicknesss.
• Preheat stove top grill (or actual grill). Grease grill lightly.
• Grill each flatbread for 2 minutes or so until firm with grill marks. Flip over and grill other side. Then brush each with garlic butter and grill each side for another 30 seconds or so, until soft but crispy.

No doubt about it, market season is here, and sign-up deadlines are fast-approaching for community produce shares. CSA, or Community-Supported Agriculture, is a model of food distribution where community members pledge their support to a local farm by purchasing a share. Boxes of produce are picked up weekly or every other week by customers, and usually contain a variety of in-season vegetables, fruit, herbs, and in some cases, dairy and meat products. Participation in CSAs not only boosts the local economy, but also saves the consumer money on produce in the long run, according to research from the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Despite these benefits, many are still hesitant to sign up for CSAs for fear of wasting precious produce they feel they might not be able to eat within a week’s time. Below are some ideas that will help you use up all your weekly goodies before your next pick-up. Kebab night - This is something I used to do when I was new to farmers market shopping. The night before going to the farmers market was reserved for kebabs, so I could use all the leftover produce on hand. Slice up any extra squash, onion, pepper, really any produce will do, and skewer them up. Cover the assembled kebabs in whatever seasoning suits your fancy (I usually sprinkle on some cayenne pepper for a kick), line them up on the grill, or place on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast on 350 for 10-15 minutes, rotating periodically. You can vary this recipe by adding pieces of chicken, shrimp, or other meats. Now, you’re clean out of produce and ready to stock up at the stand the next day. Crock-pot - Truth be told, I was a little afraid of the crock-pot until recently. Being a vegetarian, I assumed this was a kitchen appliance reserved for slow-cooking meat dishes, but a little research proved me quite wrong. Stews and soups can be slow-cooked in the crock pot with any starchy vegetables, like potatoes, and greens that will add density and flavor, such as cabbage, leeks, and onions. Below are two crock pot recipes that are quick and easy. Crock-pot recipes usually yield a lot of servings, so put a few portions in the fridge, pack up the rest in Tupperware, and freeze it until you’re ready to eat. One of my favorite crock-pot recipes is Sweet Potato Lentil Stew. Here’s another for Easy Italian Chicken. Smoothies - Smoothies aren’t usually the first thing to come to mind when you’re pondering what to do with your leftover spinach and kale, but it really is a tasty way to get your daily dose of greens. Adding fruit masks the taste of the greens, and you’re getting your daily dose of vitamins and minerals to boot! A favorite recipe: In the blender add:

• 1 banana, cut into 4 or 5 pieces—I find it blends easier this way
• A few handfuls of whatever frozen fruit you desire—try mango, pineapple, or berries
• Several leaves of kale (no stems), or handfuls of spinach, or both
• Sprinkling of coconut
• Blend

Here is a variation on the kale smoothie from Anna! Salad - When I’m looking to finish off any leftover produce, I make what I like to call a dump salad. Seriously, nowhere near as disgusting as it sounds. It’s pretty simple, really, just chop up all leftover produce (fruit included!), and dump it over a bed of greens. You can even incorporate leftovers from dinner, like a cold pasta dish or rice. My latest salad included spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers goat cheese, leftover veggie burger, quinoa, dried cranberries, and was covered in homemade vinaigrette. Below is the recipe I use. These measurements are for one serving. 1 tbsp. olive oil 1 ½ teaspoons of balsamic vinegar 1 tsp. Dijon mustard ½ tsp. of honey or agave nectar Salt and pepper to taste Chopped cilantro (optional) Whisk together until emulsified either by hand or in a blender or food processor. Drizzle over salad. For another homemade dressing variation, see Becca’s recipe for Balsamic Lemongrette. Soup - This is the simplest soup recipe for leftover squash. Any type of squash will do, acorn, butternut, even a pumpkin! Slice the squash into pieces and roast at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Let cool, and by this time the squash should be soft enough to pull the rinds off. Toss the squash into a food processor or blender with: 1 ½ cups of veggie broth ¼ cup of cream 1 tsp. curry powder a sprinkling of cayenne a pinch of salt. Blend and eat. Simple and delicious. Tips for herbs: For those of you who commit to the full CSA share, you will likely receive a few bunches of herbs in each box. It’s not always easy to use them up before they go bad. When the bunches begin to look like they’re wilting, I always think pasta. Heat some pasta sauce or tomatoes over the stove and cook in the leftover herbs. Serve over pasta, spaghetti squash, pizza, or freeze it for later. For big batches of leftover basil, pesto is always a great option. Freeze in ice cube trays, covered in plastic wrap. When you’re ready to use, pop out a few cubes and melt into your cooked pasta. You can also wash and dry your herbs. Cut open your grocery store paper bags and lay them flat on a table, and spread out your herbs. Once dry, store them in emptied spice jars on your spice rack until you need them. See Becca’s herb garden post from last summer for more inspiration! Please don’t hesitate to sign up for a CSA this year. Mega-Agribusiness destroys the environment by wasting precious resources, and is harmful to human health as a result of their overuse of toxic pesticides. Supporting local farms means you are supporting sustainable business practices, biodiversity and your local economy, as well as protecting the environment and your health. Here are some of Philadelphia Magazine’s picks for the best CSA programs in the area. Find a pick-up location near you!

No doubt about it, market season is here, and sign-up deadlines are fast-approaching for community produce shares. CSA, or Community-Supported Agriculture, is a model of food distribution where community members pledge their support to a local farm by purchasing a share. Boxes of produce are picked up weekly or every other week by customers, and usually contain a variety of in-season vegetables, fruit, herbs, and in some cases, dairy and meat products. Participation in CSAs not only boosts the local economy, but also saves the consumer money on produce in the long run, according to research from the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Despite these benefits, many are still hesitant to sign up for CSAs for fear of wasting precious produce they feel they might not be able to eat within a week’s time. Below are some ideas that will help you use up all your weekly goodies before your next pick-up. Kebab night - This is something I used to do when I was new to farmers market shopping. The night before going to the farmers market was reserved for kebabs, so I could use all the leftover produce on hand. Slice up any extra squash, onion, pepper, really any produce will do, and skewer them up. Cover the assembled kebabs in whatever seasoning suits your fancy (I usually sprinkle on some cayenne pepper for a kick), line them up on the grill, or place on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast on 350 for 10-15 minutes, rotating periodically. You can vary this recipe by adding pieces of chicken, shrimp, or other meats. Now, you’re clean out of produce and ready to stock up at the stand the next day. Crock-pot - Truth be told, I was a little afraid of the crock-pot until recently. Being a vegetarian, I assumed this was a kitchen appliance reserved for slow-cooking meat dishes, but a little research proved me quite wrong. Stews and soups can be slow-cooked in the crock pot with any starchy vegetables, like potatoes, and greens that will add density and flavor, such as cabbage, leeks, and onions. Below are two crock pot recipes that are quick and easy. Crock-pot recipes usually yield a lot of servings, so put a few portions in the fridge, pack up the rest in Tupperware, and freeze it until you’re ready to eat. One of my favorite crock-pot recipes is Sweet Potato Lentil Stew. Here’s another for Easy Italian Chicken. Smoothies - Smoothies aren’t usually the first thing to come to mind when you’re pondering what to do with your leftover spinach and kale, but it really is a tasty way to get your daily dose of greens. Adding fruit masks the taste of the greens, and you’re getting your daily dose of vitamins and minerals to boot! A favorite recipe: In the blender add:

• 1 banana, cut into 4 or 5 pieces—I find it blends easier this way
• A few handfuls of whatever frozen fruit you desire—try mango, pineapple, or berries
• Several leaves of kale (no stems), or handfuls of spinach, or both
• Sprinkling of coconut
• Blend

Here is a variation on the kale smoothie from Anna! Salad - When I’m looking to finish off any leftover produce, I make what I like to call a dump salad. Seriously, nowhere near as disgusting as it sounds. It’s pretty simple, really, just chop up all leftover produce (fruit included!), and dump it over a bed of greens. You can even incorporate leftovers from dinner, like a cold pasta dish or rice. My latest salad included spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers goat cheese, leftover veggie burger, quinoa, dried cranberries, and was covered in homemade vinaigrette. Below is the recipe I use. These measurements are for one serving. 1 tbsp. olive oil 1 ½ teaspoons of balsamic vinegar 1 tsp. Dijon mustard ½ tsp. of honey or agave nectar Salt and pepper to taste Chopped cilantro (optional) Whisk together until emulsified either by hand or in a blender or food processor. Drizzle over salad. For another homemade dressing variation, see Becca’s recipe for Balsamic Lemongrette. Soup - This is the simplest soup recipe for leftover squash. Any type of squash will do, acorn, butternut, even a pumpkin! Slice the squash into pieces and roast at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Let cool, and by this time the squash should be soft enough to pull the rinds off. Toss the squash into a food processor or blender with: 1 ½ cups of veggie broth ¼ cup of cream 1 tsp. curry powder a sprinkling of cayenne a pinch of salt. Blend and eat. Simple and delicious. Tips for herbs: For those of you who commit to the full CSA share, you will likely receive a few bunches of herbs in each box. It’s not always easy to use them up before they go bad. When the bunches begin to look like they’re wilting, I always think pasta. Heat some pasta sauce or tomatoes over the stove and cook in the leftover herbs. Serve over pasta, spaghetti squash, pizza, or freeze it for later. For big batches of leftover basil, pesto is always a great option. Freeze in ice cube trays, covered in plastic wrap. When you’re ready to use, pop out a few cubes and melt into your cooked pasta. You can also wash and dry your herbs. Cut open your grocery store paper bags and lay them flat on a table, and spread out your herbs. Once dry, store them in emptied spice jars on your spice rack until you need them. See Becca’s herb garden post from last summer for more inspiration! Please don’t hesitate to sign up for a CSA this year. Mega-Agribusiness destroys the environment by wasting precious resources, and is harmful to human health as a result of their overuse of toxic pesticides. Supporting local farms means you are supporting sustainable business practices, biodiversity and your local economy, as well as protecting the environment and your health. Here are some of Philadelphia Magazine’s picks for the best CSA programs in the area. Find a pick-up location near you!

Here a simple and tasty kind of Mediterranean recipe. Try it and the sun will shine for you - at least in your belly. :) [caption id="attachment_1325" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Tomato Rice Feta (for 2 people)"][/caption] Tomato-Rice-Feta dish (for 2 people) You need:

• 1/2 onion
• 2-3 tomatoes
• 6 mushrooms
• vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 cup of rice (basmati works the best)
• feta cheese (Trader Joes-Israeli feta)
• cilantro

Preparation:

• Cook rice.
• Cut the onions and fry them in a pan.
• Add tomatoes and mushroom, cook for 5 min, add broth and let simmer for another 5 min.
• Add rice and cook on low for 5 min.
• Cut feta cheese into little blocks and stick them into the rice mixture. Cover the pan so the feta cheese can get soft; let it sim for another 10 minutes.
• For decoration add cilantro or parsley.

Dish can be served with cold home made peppermint tea. Enjoy!! You can follow Katrin Bahr at her blog (which is in German) or on Twitter (in English).

Here a simple and tasty kind of Mediterranean recipe. Try it and the sun will shine for you - at least in your belly. :)

Tomato-Rice-Feta dish (for 2 people)

You need:

• 1/2 onion

 

• 2-3 tomatoes

 

• 6 mushrooms

 

• vegetable or chicken broth

 

• 1 cup of rice (basmati works the best)

 

• feta cheese (Trader Joes-Israeli feta)

 

• cilantro

Preparation:

• Cook rice.

 

• Cut the onions and fry them in a pan.

 

• Add tomatoes and mushroom, cook for 5 min, add broth and let simmer for another 5 min.

 

• Add rice and cook on low for 5 min.

 

• Cut feta cheese into little blocks and stick them into the rice mixture. Cover the pan so the feta cheese can get soft; let it sim for another 10 minutes.

 

• For decoration add cilantro or parsley.

Dish can be served with cold home made peppermint tea. Enjoy!!

You can follow Katrin Bahr at her blog (which is in German) or on Twitter (in English).

A few years ago I became really interested in making my own bread. I received this beautiful book from a friend and was compelled to try every recipe, well, except for puff pastry.  But the cinnamon rolls, challah, and dark pumpernickel-raisin bread - they were delicious and I was hooked.  There is something so satisfying about the end result. But homemade bread is a lot of work and when life picks up and I don't have time to wait on several rounds of rising dough, I turn to "No-Knead" bread.  I'm sure you've heard about it by now, the master recipe was written up years ago in the New York Times and featured over and over again on the internet and Mother Earth News magazine (which is where I discovered it). But if you haven't actually tried making it yet, I highly recommend it.  It's tasty and rewarding, crusty on the outside and chewy on the inside.  And the best part is that it's easy.  Here's the recipe and what I do. Recipe: No-Knead Bread Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery

• 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
• ¼ teaspoon instant yeast
• 1¼ teaspoons salt
• Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed

(Around 9 or 10 pm at night) 1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees. (The next day when we get home from work, around 4pm) 2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes. 3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger. (Around 6pm) 4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that's O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Let it cool on a wire rack - if you can wait (I usually can't). My favorite summer dinner - a salad and homemade bread with butter, radishes and sea salt. If you are intrigued by this no-knead method, but aren't a fan of white flour, I highly recommend buying Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François’s book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day because they provide healthy recipes made with less white flour, lower refined sugars and gluten free options.  I should also mention that the Fair Food Farm Stand in the Terminal Market sells a variety of different flours. Try it this weekend!

A few years ago I became really interested in making my own bread. I received this beautiful book from a friend and was compelled to try every recipe, well, except for puff pastry.  But the cinnamon rolls, challah, and dark pumpernickel-raisin bread - they were delicious and I was hooked.  There is something so satisfying about the end result.

But homemade bread is a lot of work and when life picks up and I don't have time to wait on several rounds of rising dough, I turn to "No-Knead" bread.  I'm sure you've heard about it by now, the master recipe was written up years ago in the New York Times and featured over and over again on the internet and Mother Earth News magazine (which is where I discovered it). But if you haven't actually tried making it yet, I highly recommend it.  It's tasty and rewarding, crusty on the outside and chewy on the inside.  And the best part is that it's easy.  Here's the recipe and what I do.

Recipe: No-Knead Bread
Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery

• 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
• ¼ teaspoon instant yeast
• 1¼ teaspoons salt
• Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed

(Around 9 or 10 pm at night) 1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

(The next day when we get home from work, around 4pm) 2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

(Around 6pm) 4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that's O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned.

Let it cool on a wire rack - if you can wait (I usually can't).

My favorite summer dinner - a salad and homemade bread with butter, radishes and sea salt.

If you are intrigued by this no-knead method, but aren't a fan of white flour, I highly recommend buying Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François’s book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day because they provide healthy recipes made with less white flour, lower refined sugars and gluten free options.  I should also mention that the Fair Food Farm Stand in the Terminal Market sells a variety of different flours.

Try it this weekend!

It's getting to be the end of oven season, but of course, I've said that before.  It's actually chilly and rainy now, but for two weeks, every other day Sous Chef Brian has been planning on setting up the air conditioner in the bedroom, and then by nighttime it's no longer a priority.  The weather is iffy.  But soon oven season will be over.   So let's bake up some dinner. It's not quite time for these veg in our part of the world, but when it is time, it's also not oven time.  I get so adamant about not buying tomatoes until they're here (oh, and they're here) but when Sous Chef Brian came home from the grocery store with eggplant and summer squash, I just accepted it and decided to bake this up.   Of course it'd be better in July.

Take veg, slice thin, coat in panko, bake, layer with sauce and cheese and bake.  There, we're done. Ooh, two bakes in there.  Yeah, this takes a minute. I started with an eggplant, a small yellow squash and a zucchini.  I cut them into discs with the mandoline, but a knife works too.  I feel like the mandoline is safer for thin slices, but I also gave myself a bit of an accidental manicure in the process.  The yellow squash was actually cut into longer slices, not discs.  I like having different shapes to fill a pan without the gaps left by circles.   I also thought I had way too much veg - this was four baking sheets worth, and I figured I'd be freezing some, but that was not the case.

Preheat the oven to 400.  Get some sauce going, or get ready to open a jar.  This is my go-to red sauce, when I don't have a bounty of tomatoes to work with. Beat up a couple eggs in some milk.   I  used two eggs and just enough milk to almost cover them.  This was plenty for my eggplant and two squashes, so if you're using less, you can get away with one egg.

Set out the breadcrumbs in a flat dish - I use a pie pan.

I'm a believer in panko but other breadcrumbs are fine.   I typically either make my own or use panko, and my freezer supply of bread ends is too short to make breadcrumbs right now.  I started with about 2.5 cups of breadcrumbs, but kept adding, I think I used a total of four cups or so. Sprinkle in the types of seasonings you'd use in Italian food - I went with red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and dried oregano and basil.

Fork that together so the spices are mixed in. Dip veg in egg, shake it off, press it into the bread crumbs, flip it, press it in again, and throw it on a baking sheet.

Repeat.  Like I said, I had four baking sheets worth, which for my oven, is two rounds of baking.

Put the veg in the oven for 10 minutes and flip, then about 10 minutes more.  The aim here is crispy.  You can oil your pan, or spritz your coated veg with oil, if you want them to get pretty and golden, but I'm not in it for looks.

And these are fairly golden sans oil.

At this point, we have a dilemma.  Use a big baking dish, or eat a ton of them and use a smaller one.  Also, if you want to eat now, you can cover them with cheese, set them under the broiler to melt it and serve them on top of pasta.  Or just eat them.  But let's go on and make a casserole. Coat the bottom of a baking dish with sauce, and then layer them - sauce, parmesan, veg, repeat.

I'm missing a cheese shot here - sorry, but I imagine you know what "sprinkle with cheese" looks like. Use the various shapes to fill in holes, or if you're using all eggplant or all zucchini or something, layer it a bit to avoid gaps.

I had three veg layers. Top with cheese, tent with foil and into the oven for 30 minutes.  Take the foil off for the last 10 to let it brown a bit on top.

Yeah, like that.

This makes many servings, 12-15?  And it freezes very well.  I cut individual servings, wrap in foil, label and freeze.

The cat doesn't believe there's no meat in our dinner.

This recipe is cross-posted at Saturday’s Mouse, where I’m working on making food out of food. Veggie Parmesan Recipe Yield 12 servings, very scalable.

• 1 Eggplant, sliced thin
• 1 Zucchini, sliced thin
• 1 Yellow Squash, sliced thin
• 4 cups Panko breadcrumbs
• 3 cups Pasta sauce
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 Eggs
• 1/4 cup Milk
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400.
• Beat eggs together with milk (Non-dairy milk is fine here, as long as it's unsweetened). Prepare breadcrumbs in a shallow dish.  Mix with herbs.
• Dip sliced veggies into egg, shake to remove excess and then coat in breadcrumbs.
• Lay on baking sheet lined with a silicone mat, or covered with foil or parchment.
• Bake 20 minutes at 400, flipping once midway through. Aim for crispy and somewhat golden.
• Turn oven down to 350.
• Coat the bottom of a baking dish with sauce.
• Add a layer of breaded veggies, arranging for complete coverage without gaps.
• Top with cheese and sauce, layer again.
• The top layer should be breaded veg covered in cheese.  Tent with foil.
• Bake 25 minutes at 350.
• Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes to melt cheese.