Nutty brown rice dinner. The picture was taken before I added the dressing.

These kinds of smaller, lighter dishes are actually more representative of how I eat day-to-day. I love making more complex and interesting dishes when time permits, but it doesn’t take much effort to use things you have on hand in an interesting and flavorful manner. You don’t have to follow these ingredients to the letter, just add anything you have in your fridge. Frozen vegetables work fine too.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cans chickpeas, rinsed, drained
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 or 2 bell peppers, chopped (red or yellow are best)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 small bundle asparagus, chopped
3 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup chopped almonds

-For the Dressing- From 101 Cookbooks
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons hot water
1/2 teaspoon salt

Nutty brown rice dish.

Directions

1. Combine all the ingredients for the dressing together in a bowl and mix to combine. (I keep a spare mason jar around to make dressings. Handy to shake it up and store it in the fridge.)
2. Put a large pot over medium-high heat then add the 3 tablespoons olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chickpeas. Sauté for 3-5 minutes, or until some start to brown, stirring occasionally so nothing burns.
3. Add the garlic, peppers, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add the asparagus, cover, and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add the rice and nearly all the chopped almonds. Cook until heated through, about 1-2 minutes more.
6. Serve with tahini dressing and garnish with the reserved chopped almonds.

Southern style cast iron cornbread.

Cooking cornbread in a cast iron skillet with a few tablespoons of hot oil encourages the formation of a crisp crust and prevents burning. Because cast iron retains heat well, you can take the cornbread from the oven to the table and serve. Any remaining portions are kept warm until people inevitably reach for seconds.

I can’t speak highly enough of the versatility of a cast iron skillet, but if you don’t have one, you can make this in a cake pan.

Southern style cast iron cornbread.

Cast Iron Cornbread
Makes about 12-15 servings.
I use a 12” cast iron skillet, but this recipe can be halved and cooked in a 9 or 10 inch skillet or cake pan.

Ingredients
3 1/2 cups corn meal (I used yellow, but white or blue are OK)
1 cup coarse ground cornmeal (this texture is like coarse ground coffee)
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups buttermilk
4 eggs
1 can (14 ounces) creamed corn
4 tablespoons canola oil
1 or 2 jalapeños, minced (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450F and put a 12” cast iron skillet on the middle rack of the oven.
2. Whisk the corn meals (both fine and coarse grinds), salt, sugar, baking powder, baking soda together in a mixing bowl.
3. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the buttermilk and eggs. Then add the creamed corn and minced jalapenos.
4. Add all the dry mixture to the wet and stir to combine. If the dough is too thick, add some more buttermilk or water. If it is too thin, add more cornmeal. The texture should not be smooth like bread dough or cake batter, but more like a loose mortar.
5. Working quickly so that the pan does not lose much heat, remove the cast iron skillet from the oven. Pour in the 4 tablespoons of canola oil and swirl the pan to coat it. Then pour all the cornmeal batter (it will sizzle) into the pan and return it to the oven for 25 minutes.
6. After 25 minutes check the dough, it should be golden, a little broken from the leavening that occurred, and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. If you don’t have any toothpicks (I don’t), gently and quickly press down on the top of the bread, if it rebounds, the bread it done.

Reheating tips: One of the best things about this cornbread is the crispy crust; therefore, warming it in the microwave doesn’t do it justice. Here is a reheating trick to make it taste like it just came out of the oven. Heat a serving or two in the microwave for 15-30 seconds to just warm the bread through. Meanwhile, place a skillet over medium heat on the stove top. Once the skillet is hot, add a drop of oil, swirl, and place the cornbread in the pan. Cook for 30 seconds to a minute.

Potato Chips

Apart from the shape, there is really only one difference between these and the french fries: Fry them once at the high temperature and not twice. Like most fried food, these are best fresh. I can’t really tell you how they are the next day as there are typically none left. 

Several months ago I posted about making potato chips in the microwave. You can quickly get your snack on with that method, but it doesn’t quite match the fresh-out-of-the-fryer taste. The microwave chips had some benifits: arguably a bit crunchier, harder to burn the chip (and yourself), and less mess. If you are looking to make chips for one or two, use your microwave. If you want chips for 5 or more, deep frying them is the way to go.

I might as well describe the process in detail for those who like specifics (me!), so click through…

I used the same set-up as for my French fries last week: three quarts oil in the pot, probe thermomenter sticking in, large slotted spoon to get things out of the oil.

Frying potato chips.

Ingredients

Idaho or Russet (or nearly any potato)
two to four quarts oil (peanut is preferred, but canola or even olive oil–not extra virgin–can be used)
salt (kosher, table, or popcorn salt) 

Recipe

1. Don’t bother peeling the potatoes, just scrub them and remove any of the more offensive looking parts. Using a mandolin on the thinnest setting, or a sharp chef’s knife, cut the potatoes into thin disks. Rinse the potato disks in cold water until the water is clear and let them soak them in a large bowl of ice water. The potatoes can be made to this point and held for about 12 hours.
2. Fill a large, heavy-bottomed pot with your oil, attach your fry thermometer or probe thermometer and heat over medium-high until 375F degrees. (I normally set my thermometer to 360F and start there.)
3. As the oil heats, dry the potatoes thoroughly with kitchen towels–water and hot oil don’t mix.
4. When the oil is hot, add a large hand full of the chips to the oil and fry until golden brown. Stir them a bit when you first drop them in so that they do not stick together.
5. Transfer to a clean, thick paper bag or paper towels. Return the oil to 360 degrees and repeat with remaining chips. Season the chips as they are removed from the oil to help the salt stick. Eat the crispy goodness.

Potato chips.