The Food Matters Project

The Food Matters Projects Recipes 2

 

As many of you know, I’ve been part of a group of bloggers cooking our way through Mark Bittman’s cookbook The Food Matters in an effort to incorporate more fruits and veggies into recipes.

It’s been almost a year and a half cooking recipes with this group and the project came to a close last week.  Thanks to Sarah and Kate for creating the concept and to Lexi for keeping it up. Every week I was inspired by the group of women who were a part of the project, I’d say it was quite the success ladies. I’ve truly added more fruits & veggies to my diet too. I love it!

It is really hard to pick a favorite recipe from the book.  I crave this Thai Fried Rice. This Seared Bean Sprouts with Beef + Orange Glaze is so super simple and quick. This Savory Tomato Crisp is a fresh vegetarian side to bring to a party that anyone would love and the Chorizo Smothered Cauliflower is insanely addicting. My Mom makes the Red Curried Vegetable Tomato Soup a lot and she has raving fans. In the Winter months the Cassoulet is a must. For the Summer heat definitely make these Summer Rolls, you will amaze yourself creating something so light and surprising at home (and you can fill them with almost anything)!

Hopefully you’ve enjoyed the recipes and cooked a few yourself along the way. Here are the Food Matters Cookbook recipes I’ve posted in one place. Enjoy.

The Food Matters Recipes on KeelyMarie.com

 

Chipotle Glazed Squash Skewers
Homemade Popcorn
Roasted Red Pepper & Walnut Pesto

 

The Food Matters Recipes on KeelyMarie.com

Rigatoni w/ Brussels Sprouts, Figs, Apples, Pears, Gruyere, & Fontina
Seared Bean Sprouts with Beef & Sesame Orange Sauce
Red Curried Vegetable Tomato Soup

 

The Food Matters Recipes on KeelyMarie.com

Cassoulet with Lots of Vegetables
Whole Wheat Pizza
Roasted Asparagus + White Bean Soup Two Ways

 

The Food Matters Recipes on KeelyMarie.com

Rojo Amarillo Salsa de Mango (Mango Salsa)
Greens n Beans Burrito
Savory Tomato Crisp

 

The Food Matters Recipes on KeelyMarie.com

Ethiopian Braised Chickpea Fritters and Vegetables
Roasted Tomato, Balsamic Caramelized Onion, & Sharp Cheddar Tea Sandwiches
Tuna, Parmesan, Apple, & Celery Tea Sandwiches

 

The Food Matters Recipes on KeelyMarie.com

Roasted Pork Loin and Veggies with Chimichurri
Strawberry Pinot Sorbet
Roasted Chicken with Potatoes, Green Beans & Romanesco Sauce

 

The Food Matters Recipes on KeelyMarie.com

Shrimp and Veggie Summer Rolls
Chorizo Stuffing Smothered Cauliflower
Apricot Polenta Cake with Dark Cherry Compote

 

The Food Matters Recipes on KeelyMarie.com

Edamame Pancakes
Carrot Parsnip Gnocchi with Sage Brown Butter
Thai Style Sweet Potato Corn Fritters

 

FMP9

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Black Sesame Sea Bass + Asian Soba Noodles
Thai Chicken & Pineapple Purple Fried Rice

 

SMP10

 

Italian Sausage with Brussels Sprouts and Lentils
Japanese-Spiced Roasted Beets + Parsnips
Mediterranean Cobb & Champagne Caper Vinaigrette

Also, has anyone purchased VB6 by Bittman? I’m intrigued…too much Bittman? Never too much? Do tell!

 

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keely marie

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

CabbageRolls-4

It’s my week to host The Food Matters Project and I am sticking true to my tradition and choosing a dish I’ve never cooked. Last time around (almost a year ago! can you believe we’ve been at it this long?) I chose a Cassoulet with Lots of Vegetables. Killer cozy meal if you need to feed a large group!

I’ve chosen another dish that cooks in a tomato sauce, but it is so completely different. “Stuffed Cabbage Rolls” is the name and the version I cooked up is made with lean ground beef, scallions, peppers, and jalapeño stuffed in cabbage and simmered in a tomato sauce with cinnamon, cloves, and bay leaves.

I love the idea of a slow cooked “worked all day in the kitchen” meal, but I usually have NO excuse to make them… hence my picks for the FMP. As per usual Food Matters style, this dish is the healthier version of the stuffed cabbage rolls recipes you will find out there in the recipe world. I even OK’d it for the cleanse I am doing this week given the brown rice, it is a little bit of a cheat with the beef I know, but that’s why I didn’t go with the sausage the recipe calls for (which would be divine).

Head on over here to see the creative versions my fellow FMPers whipped up.

On a another note, we just wrapped up a fabulous weekend with Food Matters Project Founder, and my bestie, Sarah in Miami. She and Gregg were in town staying with us for a quick break from their NYC Pop Up Restaurant ABODE for the Miami Food and Wine Festival. It was a weekend full of sun, laughing, and great food of course!

keely,sarah,gregg
Lunching at the SLS Miami with Sarah and Gregg

{Two things} 1. if you have not been watching them on The Taste where have you been!? and 2. if you are anywhere in the NY area grab tickets here to their pop-up because they are selling out quick. We are heading there this weekend and  I absolutely cannot wait.

 

 

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Yield: 8-10 cabbage rolls

Serving Size: 4

recipe adapted from The Food Matters Cookbook by Mark Bittman

Ingredients

  1. Salt
  2. 1 large head cabbage (about 2 lbs), cored
  3. 1 cup brown rice
  4. 8 oz lean ground beef (a mix of sausage and ground beef would be great)
  5. 1/2 cup chopped scallions
  6. 3 mini bell peppers, diced (I used 1 each yellow red orange)
  7. 1/2 jalapeño, diced
  8. 2 garlic cloves, diced
  9. black pepper
  10. 2 28 oz cans diced tomatoes, with their juices
  11. 1 bay leaf
  12. 1 cinnamon stick
  13. 4 or 5 whole cloves

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Place the cabbage in the boiling water and cook, turning it in the pot once or twice, until it begins to get tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the cabbage (do not pour out the water) and rinse the leaves with cool water to stop the cooking. Pull off the 10 largest, most intact leaves, then chop the remaining leaves and put them in a large bowl. Return the pot to a boil and stir in the rice. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes then drain.

Add the cooked rice, raw ground beef, scallions, peppers, jalapeño, garlic, and a good sprinkling of salt and pepper to the bowl of chopped cabbage and mix just enough to combine. Put a large spoonful of the rice mixture into a cabbage leaf, taking care not to overfill, and roll loosely. Shoot for 8 cabbage rolls, but if you have extra filling use more of the leaves. Put the rolls seam side down in the bottom of a large pot or dutch oven; it's okay to stack them on top of each other in the pot.

Add the tomatoes and their juice to the pot along with 1 cup of water, the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cloves, and some salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat so that the mixture barely bubbles and cook, undisturbed, for 30 minutes. Check to see if there's still liquid in the pot. The cabbage should be just submerged; if not, add a little water. Cover and cook for another 30 minutes before checking again.

When the rolls have plumped up and absorbed most of the liquid, and are firm, turn off the heat and let rest, for at least 10 minutes. Put the rolled cabbage in shallow bowls, removing the whole spices as your find them. Taste the pot juices and adjust seasoning as needed. Pour a big ladleful over the cabbage rolls and serve.

Notes

Slow Cooker Version:

I chose to do mine in a slow cooker. Same idea but you will want to heat the tomato sauce in a saucepan first unless you have a lot of time to spare.

It took 1 hour on high heat, sauce heated in a saucepan before pouring over the cabbage rolls.

https://keelymarie.com/2013/02/24/stuffed-cabbage-rolls/

 

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Black Sesame Sea Bass + Asian Soba Noodles

Black Sesame Sea Bass

You guys KNOW I jump on any Asian influenced  recipe, so you can imagine my excitement when I saw that our Food Matters Project recipe this week is Asian influenced. Love it!

The original Mark Bittman recipe calls for salmon, but we just haven’t jumped on that bandwagon yet. I used this as an opportunity to make one of my favorite fish, Chilean Sea Bass. I mostly followed the noodle recipe, adding yellow bell peppers.  I also made sweet and spicy edamame as a side dish, recipe to come.

This dish is delicious and it felt super light even though you area eating ‘healthier’ noodles. Perfect week day dinner.

Thanks Sara for a great pick! Head here to see the other members’ versions, some close to the original and some very creative.

Black Sesame Sea Bass + Asian Soba Noodles

Total Time: 30 minutes

Serving Size: 2-3

Ingredients

  1. Salt
  2. 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  3. 8 ounces fish fillet, this recipe uses Chilean Sea Bass (skin removed)
  4. Black pepper
  5. 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  6. 3 tablespoons sesame seeds
  7. 1 1?2 pounds spinach, roughly chopped
  8. 1/2 large yellow bell pepper, diced
  9. 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  10. 1 teaspoon sugar
  11. 1?2 teaspoon sesame oil
  12. 8 ounces buckwheat (soba) noodles or whole wheat spaghetti

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Put the vegetable oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. When it’s very hot, sprinkle the sea bass on both sides with salt and pepper and sear it in the pan until nicely browned on both sides, about 6 minutes total. Remove from the pan and cut or flake it into bite-size pieces. (you need to flip and remove it gently so it doesn't break apart)

Reduce the heat under the skillet to medium. Add bell peppers and cook 5 minutes to soften. Then add the garlic and sesame seeds and cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic begins to soften and the sesame seeds turn golden, about 30 seconds. Add the spinach and cook, stirring, for another minute or 2. Add the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and a splash of water and cook until the spinach is wilted, another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Cook the noodles in the boiling water until they’re tender but not mushy (start tasting after 5 minutes), then drain and rinse, reserving some of the cooking water. Turn the heat under the spinach mixture to medium and add the noodles. Toss, adding enough reserved liquid to keep things moist. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve pasta on the side of the fish.

Notes

adapted from The Food Matters Cookbook by Mark Bittman, recipe page 239 "Sesame Noodles with Spinach and Salmon"

https://keelymarie.com/2013/01/13/black-sesame-sea-bass-asian-soba-noodles/

 

We just moved from Brickell to South Beachthen went straight to Islamorada for the weekend for my birthday and meanwhile I’m changing some things on the back end of my blog and have a broken camera… so I apologize for the lack of frequent posts! It’s totally been wild around here (even some great side projects on top of work!).  I’m praying things get a little more sane this week, but I’m not expecting it yet. Stick with me please! I’m not going anywhere. 🙂

 

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Thai Style Sweet Potato Corn Fritters

SweetPotatoCornFritters-7871

Oh how I’ve missed the Food Matters Project the last few weeks. My mom was in town from Tennessee for two weeks and we took advantage of our time together by going out to dinners, so I’ve had a little less time to cook. It was such a wonderful trip and I miss her insanely since we had so much time together.

If you are new to my site, once a week a group of fabulous bloggers cook their way through Mark Bittman’s The Food Matters Cookbook. We learn to cook and eat more fruits and vegetables, cutting down on animal products. It’s healthier for you and better for the environment to keep a diet consisting of a heavy hand of veggies and fruits and small dose of animal proteins.

The dishes we’ve cooked have opened my eyes to a world of cooking methods. It has been a great (almost) year! Check out my recipes page to see all my recipes inspired by the project.

These Thai Style Sweet Potato and Corn Fritters are freakin’ fantastic! I served these with a simple lemon, garlic, and paprika seasoned tilapia and chose to bake them rather than fry. Thanks to Aura for choosing the recipe this week.

Check out the project page to see what the members came up with this week, we don’t always stick true to the recipe so you can always find a version you like here! You can also become of fan of the Food Matters Project on facebook or follow our Pinterest board if you love what you see.

Thai Style Sweet Potato Corn Fritters

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: 12 fritters

recipe adapted from The Food MattersCookbook by Mark Bittman

Ingredients

  1. 1/4 cup lime juice
  2. 1 tablespoon nam pla (fish sauce) or soy sauce, or to taste*
  3. 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
  4. Pinch of red chile flakes
  5. Pinch of sugar, optional**
  6. 2 cups grated sweet potato, squeezed dry (mine had a tond of liquid)
  7. 1 cup corn kernels
  8. 1 fresh hot chile (like Thai), minced
  9. 4 scallions, chopped
  10. 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  11. 1 egg or 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
  12. 1/3 cup whole wheat or all-purpose flour
  13. Salt and black pepper
  14. Vegetable oil, for frying or greasing the baking sheet

Instructions

Combine the lime juice, fish sauce, garlic, ginger, chile flakes, and sugar if you’re using it in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon water. Set aside, this is your dipping sauce.

Fried:

Heat the oven to 275° F. Put the sweet potato, corn, chile, scallions, cilantro, egg, and flour in a bowl and mix well; sprinkle with salt and pepper. (You can do this ahead of time and refrigerate the batter for a couple of hours before cooking.)

Put about 1/8 inch oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, drop spoonfuls of the sweet potato mixture into the oil and spread them out a bit. (Work in batches to prevent overcrowding and transfer the finished fritters to the oven until all are finished.) Cook, turning once, until golden on both sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature with the dipping sauce.

Baked:

Heat the oven to 400° F. Greased a baking sheet well with vegetable oil. Place golf ball sized balls of batter onto the baking sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature with the dipping sauce.

Fancier Fritters:

When dropped fritters aren’t quite elegant enough for the occasion, you can dust your hands with flour and shape the fritter batter into small patties, cylinders, or other shapes. Cook immediately or refrigerate, loosely covered, for up to a couple hours before cooking. To make croquettes–which are essentially breaded fritters–set up 3 bowls: one with flour, one with an egg beaten with a splash of milk, and another with bread crumbs (preferably made from whole grain bread). Carefully dredge each shaped fritter in the flour, then the egg mixture, and finally the bread crumbs. Fry until crisp and golden.

https://keelymarie.com/2012/11/14/thai-style-sweet-potato-corn-fritters/


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Scallops with Edamame Pancakes & Soy Drizzling Sauce

Once in a while the Food Matters Project really opens my eyes to a new method of cooking or a new (to me) method to prepare food. This dish is one of them and I can see myself making these often when we cook Asian inspired dishes (which is all the time).

They come together easily and you could get creative with the drizzle. I added a bit of cilantro to the edamame batter for a fresh herb flavor and a couple small drops of chili oil to the drizzle to to spice it up.

Continue reading “Scallops with Edamame Pancakes & Soy Drizzling Sauce”