Comfort Food Feast Archives - Page 2 of 6

Flatbread Pizza: Potato, Arugula, Sour Cream, Chives, Olive, Truffle, Lemon

Lavash Flatbread Pizza
Potato, Arugula, Sour Cream, Chives,
Kalamata Olive, Truffle Oil, Black Truffle Salt, Lemon

Sometimes this uprooted Chicago girl wants to serve a skinny pizza. We really do still adore our deep dish pizzas – especially Lou Malnati’s. But I also grew up enjoying Candlelite pizza, fondly remembering my parents’ love of the super-thin crust at the hip joint that was walking distance from our home on the Far North Side – a neighborhood tavern where the graphics on the old-fashioned neon sign now read “Cool Served Here.”

Fast forward many decades – while my lavash flatbread pizza recipe isn’t Candlelite-style per se – it is ultra-thin with a cracker-y crust. Still faintly reminiscent of the Chicago thin-crust pizza of yesteryear, even though back then the topping never included potato, arugula, kalamata olives…or truffle salt.

Lavash Flatbread Pizza Recipe

Continue reading “Flatbread Pizza: Potato, Arugula, Sour Cream, Chives, Olive, Truffle, Lemon”

Red Lentil Spaghetti (gluten-free) with Cauliflower Rosa Sauce (vegan)

Red Lentil Spaghetti with Cauliflower Rosa Sauce
Blistered Tomatoes, Arugula
#GlutenFreeVegan

This is THE pasta dish for everyone. Not only is it wholesome and delicious – it is gluten-free, vegan, high protein, high fiber, lower carb, clean, fresh and fabulous. My friends at Explore Cuisine are introducing a spaghetti made of red lentils. This spaghetti has a texture similar to traditional spaghetti. And it pairs wonderfully with my vegan Cauliflower Rosa sauce. Parma Rosa is a pasta sauce typically made with tomatoes, cream, and Parmesan. Here, I substitute cauliflower and olive oil for the cream and cheese, and roast the tomatoes in the oven with garlic for a deeper flavor. The result is a lower-cholesterol sauce that is full of vegetable nutrition and is super-satisfying. For everyone.

Red Lentil Spaghetti with Cauliflower Rosa Sauce and Arugula Recipe

Continue reading “Red Lentil Spaghetti (gluten-free) with Cauliflower Rosa Sauce (vegan)”

Wintery French Lentil Soup with Beef, Carrots, Sherry Vinegar

Wintery French Lentil Soup with Beef and Carrots
Sherry Vinegar, Parmesan, Cilantro

Chase away those winter blues with a hearty healthy cold-weather soup. Quick and easy preparation plus wholesome ingredients make this soup a shining star. And as a bonus, eating lentils in the new year is said to bring luck and prosperity.

This lentil soup is a bit different from the traditional, as ground beef, French lentils, and carrots share the stage equally. A drizzle of sherry vinegar adds that bright sharp counter-balance to the rich soup and earthy lentils. Cilantro brings fresh herbal notes while cumin and chile powder add warm spice overtones. A generous dusting of grated Parmesan adds the nutty components. This simple, humble soup actually has a complex flavor profile.

Wintery French Lentil Soup Recipe

Continue reading “Wintery French Lentil Soup with Beef, Carrots, Sherry Vinegar”

Chili Chocolate Brownies with Gochugaru, Ginger, Sesame Seed, Olive Oil, Fleur de Sel

Korean Influence Chili Chocolate Brownies
with
Gochugaru, Ginger, Sesame Seed, Olive Oil, Fleur de Sel

Gochugaru is a Korean red chili powder that is definitely spicy – but also has a balanced fruitiness, slight smokiness and depth of flavor from the sun-dried red peppers. Korean chili plus a fruity California olive oil and the sharp, exotic flavor of ground ginger come together in this fusion brownie that is an intense spicy grown-up dessert.

Gochugaru Brownie Recipe

Continue reading “Chili Chocolate Brownies with Gochugaru, Ginger, Sesame Seed, Olive Oil, Fleur de Sel”

Baked Sweet Potato, Salted Caramel Puffed Rice Noodle Topping

Baked Sweet Potato, Salted Caramel Puffed Rice Noodle Topping

Why not add a touch of whimsy to tonight’s dinner? Baked potato, ok. Baked sweet potato, even better. Baked sweet potato topped with a tangled nest of puffed brown rice vermicelli and drizzled with salted caramel, wow!

Puffed vermicelli (skinny rice noodles) are rather neutral in flavor (with a slight popcorn-y essence), fried in peanut oil for just a few seconds, the rice noodles puff up into light crisp nests. Seasoned with a bit of sea salt, they add a delightful crunch to the baked sweet potato. But to take it over the top, caramel sauce is drizzled over the puffed noodles, then it’s sprinkled with fleur de sel.

Who is going to resist a steaming orange-hued baked potato studded with butter and vanilla yogurt, seasoned with salt and pepper, then topped with sweet and salty flavors and a crunchy light-as-air garnish???

Baked Sweet Potato with Salted Caramel Puffed Vermicelli Recipe

Continue reading “Baked Sweet Potato, Salted Caramel Puffed Rice Noodle Topping”