“If I could save time in a bottle,
The first thing that I’d like to do
Is to save every day ‘til eternity
passes away, just to spend them with you.”
~ Jim Croce, American songwriter and folk singer (1943-1963)

Earlier this week I spent some time on the campus of Wayne State University in Detroit. A young, single mom told me that she tried to avoid bringing processed foods into her home, but often those were all she could afford. Access to really fresh foods in the city is limited, and often much more expensive than in the suburbs. So, her question to me was, “How can I generate variety, and therefore interest, using the same old foods day after day?”

Great question and, fortunately, there are some easy options for you, Katrina, and other readers who are cash and time strapped.

First impressions aren’t limited to the people we meet. Our appetites can be stimulated or destroyed by what we see on the plate in front of us, so it is important to make the presentation interesting.

When planning a meal, give some thought to colors and textures. A bowl of squash soup is pretty, but can be boring on its own; but serve it with the Phyllo Flutes from Wednesday’s post – with no more effort than making a sandwich, and far less expensive – and it becomes gourmet.

When limited by ingredients, also think in terms of new and unexpected combinations. We get tired of sandwiches and we get bored with salads, but picture a salad served in a bread bowl. Same ingredients, same amount of time!

Simple sauces and dressings are also helpful in ramping up the interest, and are usually less expensive when homemade. Try this beautiful Sweet Raspberry Dressing that is faster to make than it would take to read the label on the store bought variety.

Sweet Raspberry Dressing

¼ cup raspberry jam
¼ cup cider vinegar
½ cup canola oil

Measure ingredients into a blender container, cover securely, and process on the highest speed for 30 seconds. You’re done! Refrigerate leftovers.

Now that the sun is setting so much earlier, our time outdoors in the evening is becoming limited. We’ll be taking advantage of this weekend by doing as much cycling as possible. Finding a small farmer’s market tucked away in a park or alley will help us define dinner. Where will you get your inspiration?

“The flute is not an instrument that has a good moral effect; it is too exciting.” ~ Aristotle, Greek philosopher, physician, and scientist (384 – 322 BC)

Phyllo (also written as “fillo”) dough is a Middle Eastern pastry that is a staple in my freezer. It is a favorite go-to ingredient when we want something a little fancy and a lot fast.

Most of us have encountered phyllo in Greek food such as spinach pie or the sweet baklava. Instead of making it at home, a practice that requires the same kind of time and skill as making fresh pasta, we buy the ready-made, super-thin phyllo sheets from our grocer’s frozen foods section.

Organic whole wheat phyllo is available from some specialty stores, but I’ve never seen it in our local Kroger. Despite that, a phyllo dough made from white flour is still a good option over regular pie dough because it is very low in fat, and usually contains no saturated fat and no cholesterol.

NOTE: While most recipes call for brushing each layer of phyllo with melted butter or oil, it is possible to keep the fat content down by using a mister to spray on a very thin coating.

Another check-mark in the plus column for phyllo is that it is so versatile. Pretty much any solid food will taste better wrapped in this tender pastry – and for those foods that can’t go in the oven, phyllo can also be baked as an empty shell to be filled when cooled. For those who want super-easy, some stores even carry a pre-formed phyllo shell.

Put away your rolling pin! The most important tool you have in using phyllo dough is a damp tea towel to keep over the sheets so that they don’t dry out. Don’t despair over torn sheets, though, because using multiple layers generally accommodates this, and sheets that are badly torn can always be muddled up to form a nest for ice cream.

By the way, these tender Flutes are delicious using the Red Onion Jam from the September 1 post, or using a chutney from pages 106-107 in the Mosaic Meals cookbook, so don’t limit them to whatever Smuckers has on the shelf.

Phyllo Flutes

Time: 1 minute each to roll, 5 minutes total to bake

For each roll, you will need:
1 sheet of phyllo dough, room temperature
1 tablespoon jam or other filling
Vegetable oil to spray

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Lay a sheet of phyllo out on the counter (covering remaining sheets with a damp tea towel). Spray lightly with vegetable oil.

Place 1 tablespoon of the jam or marmalade paralleling the bottom center, about one inch from the end, and spread it to make a 3-inch long log shape.

Fold the bottom edge over the filling, then fold the long side edges over to meet at the center. Roll the filling up to the end and place it with the loose end down on an ungreased baking sheet. Repeat to make as many Flutes as you want, leaving one inch space between them on the baking sheet.

Bake for about 5 minutes, until just beginning to brown. Remove from the oven and cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. CAUTION: The sugar in the jam keeps the center hot much longer than the surface would have you believe.

The phyllo cup in the picture above the Flute recipe was made by spraying a sheet of dough with canola oil, and folding in half, then repeating two more times. Gently settle the layers of dough into a cupcake pan, forming to make the cup. Bake at 350° F for 5 minutes, watching attentively to avoid overcooking, then cool for 5 minutes before filling. For those who wish to avoid refined sugar, these cups can make even a simple fruit salad special.

Next time you have a bit of stew or thick chili leftovers, try rolling them in phyllo dough as above to create an attractive side dish to a cream soup, or with a dip as light entrée. For the creative person, the options are endless. We’d love to hear which combinations create the perfect serenade for your table.

“I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion” ~ Henry David Thoreau, American poet and philosopher (1817 – 1862)

Pumpkin-Cauliflower Curry

Serves:4 as a main course
Time: 40 minutes

2 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium cooking onion, chopped
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1 teaspoon cumin seed OR ground cumin
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons curry powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
2 cups water
2 cups pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cubed
2 cups cauliflower florets
1 cup cut green beans (fresh or frozen)
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
½ cup raisins (optional)
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro or mint to garnish

Warm the olive oil in the bottom of a Dutch oven or other large pot with a lid. Add the onion and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the mustard seed, cumin, garlic, curry powder, cinnamon and cayenne pepper to the onion and stir to blend, then stir in the water, pumpkin, cauliflower and green beans.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer, place the lid on the pot, and allow to cook for 15 minutes, until the vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove the lid and stir in the chickpeas and raisins, if using. Allow to simmer until the liquid has thickened, about 5 more minutes.

Serve over brown basmati rice, garnished with mint or cilantro. We enjoyed the Simple Tomato Chutney from page 107 in the Mosaic Meals cookbook for a tasty, sweet accompaniment.

Thanks for starting your week with us!

“I held a couple of meetings in the local community and everyone was dead keen on protecting our kiwi.” ~ Steve Sawyer, professional environmentalist, referring to the endangered kiwi bird.

Captain Kiwifruit On Duty

Summer is burning itself out here in the north, but the produce market is still promoting the kiwifruit at prices I can’t resist. Even though my excellent blog from a couple of weeks ago wasn’t chosen to be a finalist in the Zespri contest for bloggers to win a trip to New Zealand, my brain has continued to turn over new possibilities. This idea might be the most unique yet.

Remember the Frozen Banana Scream recipe from August 2nd? Well, I thought I’d give the same thing a try with kiwifruit. As it turned out, the kiwifruit is a great candidate for a dairy-free ice cream that can be prepared quickly with the help of a food processor. The soft green color speckled with the tiny, dark seeds is really quite beautiful on the plate and is especially ideal for those who must avoid the cholesterol or other ingredients in commercial ice cream.

Frozen Kiwifruit Scream

Makes 1 cup
Time: 15 minutes active + 4 hours freezing

2 large, ripe kiwifruit!
2 tablespoons So Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer
Sugar (optional, to taste – I used 2 teaspoons)

Peel the kiwifruit and cut into ¼-inch thick slices. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in a freezer for at least 4 hours, until solidly frozen. While you are waiting for the kiwifruit to freeze, maybe you’d like to take an opportunity to win a free trip to New Zealand, too.

Later that same day…

Place the frozen kiwifruit pieces into the bowl of a food processor. Cover with the lid and process on highest setting, stopping frequently to stir down. **Important note: Hold on to the food processor; mine wanted to hop around until the pieces were chopped and beginning to soften.**

When all the kiwifruit is very finely chopped, add the creamer and sweetener to taste, and continue to process on highest setting until the mixture reaches a thick, creamy consistency similar to soft-serve ice cream.

Serve immediately, or spoon into a freezer container, cover tightly and store in the freezer.

Much to my delight, this makes a great ice cream cookie sandwich. Just place a small scoop between two cookies and freeze until hard enough to prevent squishing out when biting — about an hour. If anyone has a good, creative name for these, I’d love to hear it!

P.S. Those cookies are an egg-free type of macaroon and taste wonderful. For those interested in the recipe, I got it from Meredith at the New Veganing blog. All I did differently was to substitute half the flour called for with an equal measure of cocoa powder to make them chocolate.

“Every time I come to Laos, there’s always an element of the mystical. When I step off the airplane, I know something wonderful or terrible is going to happen to me.” ~ Colin Cotterill, English/Australian author, teacher, and cartoonist (1952 – )

When Colin Cotterill writes a book for his fictional series of mystery books about Vietnam’s national coroner, he always includes a great deal of fascinating detail about life in Laos in the late 1970’s. Among Cotterill’s descriptions of housing, clothing, and dealings with the new government, are details about the food and food preparation. Every book makes me head for the kitchen to prepare a Vietnamese dish.

In The Coroner’s Lunch, the first book in the series, we are introduced to the unique sandwich known as Bánh Mi, which demonstrates the perfect fusion of the strong Chinese and French influences that have formed the Vietnamese culture. While the meat (or meat substitute) can vary, making it on a baguette (long, narrow, crispy French bread), including long strips of fresh cucumber on the bottom and fresh cilantro on the top are the invariables (see below for assembly instructions). Serve this tangy coleslaw on the side, or include it on the inside, as we do.

To save time, use a total of 3 cups of pre-shredded coleslaw mix in place of the cabbage and carrots, if you wish.

Vietnamese Coleslaw

Makes 3 cups – up to 6 sandwiches
Time: 10 minutes prep + 20 minutes resting

2 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup shredded carrots
¼ cup chopped mint
¼ cup chopped cilantro
¼ cup chopped roasted peanuts
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 teaspoons tamari or other soy sauce
¼ cup seasoned rice vinegar

Toss ingredients together in a bowl; cover and allow flavors to blend for at least 20 minutes, or refrigerate for up to 8 hours.

Bánh Mi: Cut a baguette into 4” long sections, then slice each sectionin half vertically. Layer sandwich ingredients beginning with cucumber ribbons (sliced lengthwise), and optional spinach, pâté, roasted meat, cold cuts, or grilled tofu – whatever you like. Top with the Vietnamese Coleslaw, if you wish, some spicy chili garlic sauce, and/or your favorite salad dressing, and cilantro leaves. Cover with the top half of the bread to complete the sandwich.

I’m about to start reading Cotterill’s book The Merry Misogynist and have been told that I’ll crave Vietnamese soup, Pho, just a few pages into it. Did you ever read a book that made you hungry?