Chickpea Salad with Parmesan & Parsley

Sometimes, simple is better, no? I like to think I'm a pretty un-complicated gal myself. Especially when it comes to recipes. Some of my most favorite recipes, are also the easiest, but what they all must have in common is that their results taste amazing. Maybe simple means just a few high-quality ingredients with little fussing or fixing to let their flavors shine. Or maybe a simple recipe means a one pot meal, with not a lot of dishes to clean up. Or perhaps a simple dish, is one that takes all of five minutes to put together, with ingredients you already have laying around in your fridge and pantry.

What I've Been Eating!

Here's a quick little glimpse into a few meals I've cooked over the past couple of months that I've really enjoyed. I know posts have been a little sparse around these parts; I think I tend to go through phases where I get more caught up in the preparation and consumption of the food I make, and the photo taking and blog writing fall by the wayside a bit. That being said, I realized today that there has been some really tasty stuff being eaten that I should have been sharing with you all, so I'm going to try and do that right now. Sound good? Ok then.

Let's start with the Sea Bass with Swiss Chard and Piquillo Pepper Sauce pictured above. The recipe for that came from Cindy Pawlcyn's Big Small Plates cookbook, which I absolutely adore. I also absolutely adore Cindy Pawlcyn, who is a local celebrity chef, and the owner of 3 restaurants in the Napa Valley. I've seen her out and about at the farmer's market a few times, and at her restaurants a couple of times, so I think I can say that the two of us are friends now right? She even signed my copy of her cookbook, so I mean, yeah, were friends.

So my friend Cindy has some pretty great recipes, and this is one of them. The fish is simply prepared with salt and pepper, sauteed in a little olive oil, and served over some spicy Swiss chard with a flavorful and smooth piquillo pepper sauce. Yes I realize the sauce in that photo appears a very strange neon color, but trust me that in person it doesn't look as if it was something out of a zombie movie. Another meal that didn't exactly photograph brilliantly, is this oh-so-gosh-darn-good seafood curry:
I don't think that curry is one of those things that usually photographs well though, especially the brown and red ones. Even though they may taste amazing, they can be a little unappealing visually in my opinion. But maybe that's because I'm kind of late to the game when it comes to curry, and never really tried it until last year. I didn't know what I was missing out on though. It has quickly become one of my favorite things to eat, and this recipe that I tried out of Bon Appetit magazine has quickly become one of my favorite meals.

The curry paste is easy to make, and just involves a quick blend of some ginger, jalapeno, herbs and spices. That gets sauteed in a pan for a few minutes, and then a can of coconut milk goes in, and you've got a delicious green curry sauce. Just toss in some veggies & some seafood (I usually do green beans, red pepper, shrimp, and scallops), and you've got yourself a delicious dinner. I don't usually repeat recipes that often, but I've made this at least 3-4 times over the past few months.
And then there was the day I ate these pancakes. Hoo boy these were ridiculous. Ricotta pancakes, topped with toasted almonds, mango, strawberries and an orange maple syrup. They were very loosely adapted from this recipe in Food and Wine Magazine, and were light and fluffy and I loved the combination of orange and maple syrup. Yum.

Now back to dinner foods. I made these Chipotle Winter Greens & Buttermilk Grits one cold and yucky night and they warmed us right up. Once again, maybe not the most appealing looking bowl of food, but trust me when I say it was delicious. Smoky and slightly spicy winter greens, served over a healthy helping of creamy grits. I sauteed some mushrooms with the greens for a little extra protein, and added Parmesan cheese to the grits, because cheese is always a good thing.
Last but not least, I want to share with you the meal I made for Valentine's Day this year. Clockwise from upper left, Fried Chickpeas with Sage & Lemon, Parsley and Endive Salad, Homemade Pasta with Lobster Cream Sauce, and Champagne, which is an essential part of the cooking process. I loved every single one of these recipes, and will definitely be sharing them with you all in full detail in the future. But for now here's just a taste.
Thanks for letting me share! Hope all of you out there are enjoying some good eating yourselves!

Lentils with Shiitake Mushrooms and Mustard Vinaigrette

When it comes to cooking, I am more likely to turn to a recipe rather than trying to create one on my own. Sometimes though, inspiration strikes and I attempt to go off in my own direction. Those directions can lead to dishes that are not always exactly awe inspiring, but occasionally I head down a path that takes me to something new and delicious. Which is exactly what happened with this lentil and mushroom dish.

Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad

I have a tendency to get into a little bit of a funk in January. The holidays are long gone, the weather is rainy and dreary, and it makes me want to hibernate in my little shack with a warm fire until February comes along. During this month I definitely need a bit of inspiration to get me off the couch and get my creative juices flowing again. Luckily, I received some new cookbooks for Christmas, and inspiration is not so hard to find in this stack of loveliness:
Oh how I love me some new cookbooks. I can't wait to read them all the way through when I first get them, and mentally pick out dishes that I'm dying to try. I even like to read the recipes in bed before I go to sleep, thumbing through the pages until I can no longer keep my eyes open. Unfortunately as much as I love reading and gathering ideas from cookbooks, I am horrible at actually going back to those books on a regular basis and making new recipes out of them. I think it has something to do with the onslaught of cooking magazines I receive each month, when I tear out the glossy pages and place them in a folder that is always overflowing and easily accessible. Instead of reaching for a cookbook, I tend to reach for that folder instead. Not to mention the recipes I get inspired from off of other blogs and cooking websites. With all those other forms of cooking inspiration, I forget about the books that are tucked away in my cupboard, begging to be opened and used.

So I made a pact with myself after obtaining the most recent additions of cookbooks, that I would cook at least one recipe out of each book in the next couple of weeks, and make sure that they don't get put away before that happens. Which is how this delicious bowl of shaved Brussels sprouts with egg, almonds, and a citrus vinaigrette appeared in my kitchen.

What I'm Eating in 2011!

 Image from HubPages.com

Happy New Year dear readers!  I hope 2011 brings you much joy and happiness, and that you accomplish culinary magic in your kitchen.

Butter + Cream turned one last weekend.  It has been beyond rewarding for Allison and I to share our food, our friends, and stories with all of you.  From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for reading and sharing all of your kind comments.  We were both complete novices to blogging, and have learned a lot.  If you read the site regularly, you know that things have been on the sparse side in terms of posting.  I wanted to share a bit of what is going on with me, and shed some light on the future of Butter + Cream.

Back in September I read the book Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer, and it turned out to be a real game changer for me.  Honestly, I think it should be required reading for anyone who spends their hard earned money on food, whether it be in a grocery store, at a white-tablecloth restaurant, or a taco truck.

After Eating Animals, I read The Kind Diet, and now I'm reading Mad Cowboy and The Conscious Cook.  You can probably see where this is going.  My intention for 2011 is to focus on eating a plant-based diet.  This means a completely new way of cooking, without the yumminess that is meat, dairy, or eggs.  The explanation of why could fill its own blog post, and there are plenty of people who feel emotionally charged on both sides of the meat-eating issue.  In fact, I don't even like using the V-word (vegan) because many people assume that I'm a freaky judgmental hippie.  The short version is that I don't agree with the way the majority of farm animals in the US are raised and processed.  The meat and dairy industries have monumental impacts on our environment, our health, and the millions of animals who suffer each day in factory farms, and I'm ready to opt out.

I was really hesitant for a long time to get into the gory details of where our food comes from.  We have such a deep attachment to the foods we grew up eating, and I'm still wondering if I can live in a world without cream cheese frosting, or my mom's lasagna.  These changes don't have to take place overnight, or at all, but what I would suggest and encourage would be for all of you fabulous home cooks to do a bit of research on where your food is coming from.  Read about the US factory farm system, watch Food, Inc, and make your decision based on knowledge.  I realize that I'm coming to this choice from a very privileged position.  I live in Los Angeles, where our farmers' markets run year round.  I have a 9-5 Monday-Friday job, and I have the luxury of time (and desire) to cook my own meals nearly every night.  In addition, I don't have the duty of feeding picky kids at the end of a hectic day.  So I'm not suggesting that this is a realistic shift for everyone to make.  But the fact is that it is a realistic change for me, and one that I feel to be meaningful.
 
 In making this shift, John and I have talked a lot about goals, and what we consider to be successful.  Will I do this perfectly all the time?  Of course not.  Eating in restaurants is hard.  And as someone who loves to entertain, I'm not ready to begin turning down food that others have lovingly prepared for me.  But my sister-in-law and I had a life talk a while back, and she very wisely said, "I believe in what you do most of the time."  This is where I'm starting.  Eating a plant-based diet will begin in our kitchen, and we will take the rest on as it comes.  John's still eating meat and dairy in restaurants, but I'm grateful for him being so receptive to the changes on the homefront.  We started the shift to vegan at the beginning of December, and I already feel a difference in my health, my mood, my body, and my conscience.

This obviously puts us in an interesting position here at Butter + Cream.  Butter and cream are ingredients that I am consciously trying to let go of, or at least eat a LOT less of.  I do know that I want to keep blogging, and I want to share this period of transition and new cooking.  Luckily, I have some good friends who are on the same path, and I think the plan will be for us to bring the veggie conversation to its own separate website.  We don't have any details as of yet, but I will surely keep you posted.  But don't worry, we won't replace cupcakes with tempeh loaves here at B + C.

Allison is still around, and is going to take the lead on things for the time being, but I'll still post when I stumble upon something I think you guys will love.  Butter + Cream isn't going anywhere, especially with some big baking events in the new year.  With the first half of 2011 bringing us baby showers, weddings, and birthdays, I'm sure we will bring you some good stuff.  Best of luck on all of your resolutions this year.  I hope 2011 is amazing to you!

xoxo,
Mary

Cauliflower Gratin

Hello!  I hope your Thanksgiving was fabulous, and that your pants are being friendly to you this week.  We had a wonderful day in the kitchen, and I could not be more thankful to my BFF and sister-from-another-mister Nicole for steering the ship.  We were triumphant in the kitchen, even if our guests did eat a bit later than we had planned (did any of you manage to get your Thanksgiving dinner on the table at the time you had planned?  If so, you're my hero). 

As my little household has transitioned to meatlessness (all the time for me, at home for John), we have a lot of conversations about satisfying food. While I could probably munch happily on brown rice and pureed soup for dinner, whether we consider a new dish a success or a failure often depends on that heft, that oomph, that weightiness that makes you feel warm and full on a cold (ok cold for Los Angeles) winter night.  Our Thanksgiving meal was the most satisfying I can remember.  Soft blistery sweet potatoes, a rich and savory stuffing, velvety mashed potatoes, and some zingy little cranberries .  Turkey who?

If Thanksgiving is my Superbowl, then it needs an MVP, and this cauliflower number is it.  If you've never made gratin before, let me offer a ringing endorsement.  Gratins have a base vegetable that cozies up with a rich bechamel or cheese sauce.  The whole thing gets topped with a crumbly savory topping and baked like a casserole.  It's winter perfection.  Potato gratins are very common, but cauliflower, sweet potato, and even parsnips are great variations.

Thoughts on Meatlessness, and a Vegetable Pot Pie

On a recent flight from LA to Chicago, I found myself completely wrapped up in Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals.  It's a non-fictional account of the meat industry in the US, and in my humble opinion, an important piece of work for anyone who grocery shops and cooks.  Foer delves into the economic, environmental, and public health impact of factory farms, and encourages readers to think about the big picture behind what's in their shopping carts.

Needless to say, my fiance was more than a bit shocked when I got off the plane in Chicago, land of Italian beef, meaty deep dish pizza, and the old school steakhouse, and declared that I was considering going vegetarian.  While the last two months have been a period of transition, it's also been a time for some really fun cooking.