Cat Food

What a day!

I have not abandoned my site. I promise. I had no idea how nerve wracking buying a house would be. I've been obsessed with getting everything together and that has left me exhausted and feeling none to creative in the recipe department. I'm now starting to pack up my house for the big move and that means my kitchen too! Yikes! If you could see all the gadgets I have ... oy!

Last weekend I took a break from all this house stuff and we celebrated fall in all its glory at the Montclair Farmer's Market Harvest Festival. There was all kinds of great stuff for kids, cooking demos by myself and a local caterer named Nicky Mesiah, even a petting zoo. Here are the recipes I shared with the folks who stopped by.

Curried Harvest Fruit & Nut Salad
4 – 6 servings

Salad
1cup barley
2 red skinned apples
2 pears
1 cup dried apricots, diced
2 stalks celery
2 cups or 1 small bunch red or green grapes
½ cup raisins
1 cup chopped nuts

Dressing
¾ cup low fat yogurt
1 Tbs. Honey
1 tsp. Curry powder
Pinch of salt
Water or apple juice to thin if necessary

1) Rinse barley and pick out any foreign material.
2) Bring 4 cups of water to a boil, add barley and cook till al dente – approx. 20 minutes.
3) Drain barley and rinse with cold water – set aside to drain.
4) Chop apples, pears, apricots & celery to ¼ inch dice. Slice grapes in half and combine with the diced fruit. Sprinkle with lemon juice to retain color.
5) Combine fruit, veggies and barley in large bowl.
6) Combine yogurt, honey, curry powder & salt in separate bowl and wisk till smooth. Thin with water or juice if too thick.
7) Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.

** Serve as a side dish or add chunks of grilled chicken or firm tofu for a complete main course salad

Roasted Veggie Pizzas

1 Red Pepper
1 Eggplant
1 Zucchini
10 Mushrooms
2 cloves garlic
Olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
½ cup tomato sauce
1 cup mozzarella cheese
¼ cup parmesan cheese
1 recipe pizza dough

Roasted Veggies
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees

1) Dice all the veggies to about a ¼ inch size cube except the garlic. You can leave the garlic whole if you only want a light garlic flavor, otherwise mince it up and toss with the other vegetables.
2) Toss all the veggies in a bowl with the olive oil and pepper. You will add the salt after the vegetables have been roasted.
3) Place veggies on a sheet pan and roast for about 30-40 minutes until they are fragrant and turning a nice golden brown.
4) Remove them from the oven and set aside.

Pizza Dough
Raise oven heat to 400 degrees
Makes 2 - 12 inch pizzas

¼ cup warm water
1 package of dry yeast
4 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 cup warm water

1) Mix the yeast and the ¼ cup warm water and let sit
2) Measure most of the flour into the bowl along with the salt
3) Add the yeast mixture, oil and 1 cup of warm water and stir till it starts to hold together.
4) Knead until the dough comes together into a soft ball, adding flour to keep it from being sticky. You may not use all the remaining flour.
5) Plop the dough into a bowl and spray with a little oil to keep it from sticking as it rises to double its size
6) Once it's risen, divide the dough into two balls. If you're only making one pizza then put one ball into a freezer bag & into the freezer to use later. To use the frozen dough, allow it to defrost in the refrigerator before rolling it out.
7) Press dough into any shape you want and place on a baking sheet.
8) Top with the sauce, veggies & cheeses and bake till the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly.

This is a great recipe to make with kids. There's a science, math and reading lesson all in one. Plus I've never met a kid who didn't like pizza. If your kids like different toppings on their pizzas let them each roll out a smaller portion of dough and make their own signature pizza.

White Bean Soup with Garlic & Rosemary
please see "Batten Down The Hatches"

All photos this post by Eric Seftel

What a Blast!

Thanks everyone for coming out and supporting Cat Food and Barista of Bloomfield Ave. at yesterday's farmer's market. I had such a great time - I hope you all did too!

Over the next couple of weeks Cat Food will be expanding with more cooking classes - ingredient resource information - nutrition information and lots more recipes! The new segment Cat in the Kitchen that is launching at Barista will be expanded here to include NYC restaurants and tours of all kinds of food related businesses in and around the New York metro area. Check back often to get the latest scoop!

As promised - here's a recap of the recipes from yesterday's healthy breakfast demonstration. Try them with your kids and let me know what you come up with!

Mixed Fruit Granola
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

4 cups Old Fashioned Oats
1 tsp. Cinnamon
½ tsp. Ginger
½ cup brown sugar
½-¾ cup orange or apple juice
1 cup dried apricots, chopped
1 cup dried cranberries, chopped
1 cup slivered almonds
½ cup coconut
Pinch of salt

1) In a saucepan warm the juice with the brown sugar and spices till the sugar melts
2) In a large bowl toss the oatmeal flakes, almonds & coconut with the sugar/juice mixture till it's all coated
3) Spread out on a foil or parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 20 - 30 minutes till it starts to get a golden color
4) Remove from the oven and stir in the chopped fruit and let it all cool together
5) The granola will be a little sticky at first but will crisp up as it cools
6) Store in an airtight container for up to a month

Gingerbread Waffles with Warm Fruit Compote

Waffles
Makes about 5 waffles

2 cups Flour
3 tsp. Baking powder
¼ tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Ginger
1 tsp. Cinnamon
½ tsp. Cloves
½ tsp. Nutmeg
'4 Tbs. Brown sugar
1 Tbs. molasses
1 egg
¼ cup canola oil
1½ cups milk

1) Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine
2) In a separate bowl whisk the egg till it's frothy then add the brown sugar, molasses, oil & milk and mix to combine
3) Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until it's smooth
4) Pour about a half a cup of batter onto a well heated non-stick waffle iron and lightly spread it out. Bake until it's a deep golden brown for about 5 minutes. Waffle should not stick if it is completely cooked.

Fruit Compote

Use whatever is in season at the farmer's market. Chop fruit to equal about 4 or 5 cups and place in a bowl. Sprinkle 2-3 Tbs. of lemon juice over the fruit to brighten the natural flavor and add a couple of Tbs. of honey or maple syrup and a couple Tbs. of water. Toss everything together and then warm in a sauté pan till the fruit breaks down and has a sauce-like consistency. You can add additional flavoring like spices or citrus zests or vanilla extract. Be creative!

Oven Baked Veggie Frittatas
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

This is a super easy way to make quick frittatas. Take whatever veggies you have in the frig - tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, etc. Dice them up to equal about 2 Tbs. per cup of a 6 cup muffin tin - give or take.

Spray or brush each cup in the tin with olive oil put about 2 Tbs. of the veggies in the bottom of each cup and pop it into the oven while you get the eggs ready. The veggies will roast quickly.

Take 6 eggs, which equals about 1 egg per cup and break them into a small bowl. Whisk them as you would when making scrambled eggs and add any flavoring you'd like. I've used fresh herbs and a little parmesan cheese here. I've also added a little milk.

Take the muffin pan out of the oven and fill each cup about half full with the egg mixture. Top with a sprinkling of cheese and pop back in the oven. Now don't open the oven door for at least 15 minutes.

The eggs are done when they're all puffed up and are golden brown on top. Take the pan out of the oven and let them cool slightly. They will fall back down - don't be alarmed!

Remove the eggs with a spatula to a plate. Now, you can either eat them plain with a garnish of more fresh herbs, salsa & a dab of sour cream or you can make a McMuffin by putting one on a toasted English muffin - add a slice of cheese and top with the other half of the English muffin.

You can make these frittatas ahead of time on the weekend and keep them in the frig for during the week. They reheat really well in the microwave on high for one minute. This is a much healthier alternative to a McDonalds Egg McMuffin and you're getting one whole serving of protein, vegetables & dairy without all of the fat.

Fruit & Yogurt Smoothies
Serves 1 person

1 banana
1 cup fresh or frozen fruit, i.e. berries, peaches, pears, apples etc.
1-2 Tbs. honey
2-3 Tbs. low fat yogurt
1 cup Milk or juice
Ice

1) Place banana, fruit, honey, juice or milk & yogurt in a blender with about 1 cup of ice and blend on high till thick and creamy
2) You can add protein powder if you'd like or any number of other flavorings - ½ tsp. of cinnamon or ginger or good vanilla extract - even a couple of Tbs. of peanut butter! Garnish with a little fresh fruit and enjoy.

**To enjoy the scrumptious fruit available from the farmer's market all winter long. Wash the fruit well, chop and then spread out on a cookie sheet and freeze. Once the fruit is frozen transfer it to a zip lock freezer bag and pop back in the freezer. Now you can use it all winter long!

What the heck is a Scape?

"The newest member of the Barista team, accomplished cook Cat Morris, has volunteered to check out the Montclair Farmer’s Market each week, find something interesting, and send in a recipe.

This week it was scapes."

Scapes?

The folks at Starbrite Organic Farms in Blairstown, NJ were more then happy to give me a quick course in Scapes 101.

Apparently the scape is the stalk of the garlic plant, the part between the bulb, which we’re all familiar with, and the flower. They’re a beautiful bright green; sort of like scallions in color. They have a mellower garlic flavor than the bulb itself, with a nice little spicy bite. They’re fantastic in just about anything but I tossed them with spaghetti and sun dried tomatoes, lemon and roasted corn and WOW a great garlic flavor without garlic breathe

Lemon Scented Pasta with Garlic Scapes and Veggies
(Serves 2 as a main course or four as a side dish)

1/3 box of spaghetti
5 or 6 garlic scapes sliced thinly
6 Sun dried tomato halves sliced thinly
¾ cup fresh corn
½ cup flat leaf parsley
Zest of one lemon
Juice of one lemon
1 cup chicken stock

Cook the spaghetti till al dente and set aside.

Sautee’ scapes and tomatoes till fragrant then add the corn, parsley, lemon zest and lemon juice and simmer lightly.

Turn the heat up a bit; add the chicken stock and pasta and toss everything to coat and until the sauce is slightly thickened.

Serve garnished with additional parsley.

Curried Fruit & Barley Salad

Salad
1 cup barley
2 red skinned apples
2 stalks celery
2 cups or 1 small bunch red or
green grapes
½ cup raisins

Dressing
3/4 cup low fat yogurt
1 Tbs. Honey
1 tsp. Curry powder
pinch of salt
water or apple juice to thin if necessary

Rinse barley and pick out any foreign material.
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil, add barley and cook till al dente – approx. 20 minutes.
Drain barley and rinse with cold water – set aside to drain.
Chop apples & celery to ¼ inch dice. Slice grapes in half and combine with apples & celery. Sprinkle with lemon juice to retain color.
Combine fruit, veggies and barley in large bowl.
Combine yogurt, honey, curry powder & salt in separate bowl and wisk till smooth. Thin with water or juice if too thick.
Pour half the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Add additional dressing to taste and refrigerate the rest to use as dip. Enjoy!

** Serve as side dish or add chunks of grilled chicken or firm tofu for a complete main course salad

4 – 6 servings