Watership Down Kitchen

I recently welcomed 8 chickens into the family. Because I am incredibly cool, I named them Dorothy, Sophia, Rose, Blanche, Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha. Epic, no? Ultimate millennial status achieved. The last time I had chicken, I raised the hens from chicks. Before they began laying, we moved to a city and I had to literally send them upstate to a farm. Now that I live in my permanent house in the boonies, it felt like the right time to re-experience chickens. We adopted these ladies right at egg laying age and so are inundated with glorious eggs. As such, please expect plenty of recipes using eggs! This is a fun twist on a simple omelet; simply whip the egg whites and fold in the yolks to get a super light and fluffy omelet. I Add in the omelet additions you typically enjoy and weekend brunch is served! Ingredients: 3 large eggs salt optional: bacon crumbles, cheddar cheese, cooked broccoli Method: Optional: Fry up a few strips of bacon i...

I consider this to be a moussaka inspired pasta bake. It lacks moussaka’s béchamel sauce, eggplants, and about a million other things. It does have the a tomato based meat sauce that steals all the herbs and spices right out of my moussaka recipe, however, and is topped with feta and pecorino cheeses. It’s easier and faster to make than moussaka and is a welcome addition to my greek recipe rolodex. You can prepare this ahead of time and freeze it before you bake it; you can make a double recipe and freeze the other half. Or just make the darn thing, bake it, and eat it the same day if you are hungry now, darn it!  I hope you enjoy! Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 pound ground beef 1/2 pound ground lamb 1 large onion, diced 1 green bell pepper, diced 4 garlic cloves, minced 3 teaspoon oregano 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 pinch nutmeg 1 teaspoon salt pepper 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme 1 tablespoon tomato past...

I am guilty of having a massive sweet tooth for weekend breakfast. Pancakes, waffles, french toast, cinnamon buns, danishes, doughnuts, cream of wheat, oatmeal- everything with syrup and fruit and cream is heaven to me in the morning. However, when trying to be healthy, starting the day off with more than my weekly nutritionally allotted portion of sugar seems…. unwise? But the other brunchy breakfast options are not brilliant for my health either- bacon, sausage, cheese, croissants, bagels, white toast…. I want something delicious, not sweet, but not hilariously artery-clogging either. (At least not every weekend- just most of them!) Savory steel cut oatmeal, full of leafy green spinach, filling and meaty mushrooms, healthy fat of the avocado, beautifully fried eggs fresh from my chickens, and a small amount of bacon crumbles and shredded cheese to keep the dish from being utterly boring. Yum. A Sunday started out right! Ingredients: One avocado, diced 2 cups of...

I want healthy, I want fast, I want flavor. Stir fry-day to the rescue! (Thanks, Archer!) Just open a bottle of Thai peanut sauce and all the spice blending is done for you. Tender-crisp veggies, delicious Thai flavor and perfectly seared scallops. Pair it with your favorite rice (mine is Jasmine, but basmati works nicely here as well) and you have a dish to dream about. I used my leftover black rice, faro and red lentil side dish for this version. To really make this dish authentic, serve with lime wedges and squeeze them over the top just before eating. After all, the ideal Thai dish has sweet, sour, salty, spicy and creamy and the lime is the sour! Ingredients: 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1 1/2 pounds sea scallops 2 cups broccoli florets 2 medium sweet onions, sliced 1 medium zucchini, sliced 2 medium carrots, sliced 1/4 cup thai peanut sauce 1/4 teaspoon salt Rice, for serving Method: Pat the scallops dry and remove the membrane. Heat 1...

After dance class, I often have a pretty big appetite. I want something with protein and carbs but that also has veggies so I don’t feel like I am undoing all the work I did in dance class. Tuna pasta salad to the rescue! Feel free to change up the veggies; I love tomatoes and the crunch of green beans. I can never resist the saltiness of olives in a tuna salad so they are a must for me.  I use two tablespoons of mayo but you can experiment to see how much you like, or leave it out entirely. If you do choose to forgo the mayo, I would add a drizzle of olive oil in its place to add some healthy fat and to keep everything moist. Chef John, my youtube chef hero, has me addicted to cayenne pepper, but feel free to adjust that to your taste as well.  I like this meal for a filling lunch after dance class and before a long teaching session, or a dinner after a long rehearsal. Yum! Ingredients: 1 can tuna 2 tablespoons mayo 1/2 cup green beans, cut into thi...

What is cooking but wonderful experimentation? Sometimes my favorite dishes result from having disparate ingredients left in my pantry that I throw together to form some sort of meal. It has resulted in utter disaster, but other times a favorite new dish is invented. One day I decided to combine farro, black rice and red lentils and rice them with baharat spice, a middle eastern spice blend that includes pepper, cumin, coriander, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, paprika, mace, and nutmeg. The black rice unexpectedly dyed everything, even the brilliant red lentils, a deep, inky purple-black. While monotone in color, the taste is sensational. I added roasted garlic cloves and feta cheese to mine, but it is equally good alongside fish, chicken, a fried egg- whatever you wish.  Enjoy! Ingredients: 3/4 cup farro 3/4 cup black rice 1/2 cup red lentils 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 teaspoons baharat spice salt and pepper to taste 4 cups chicken stock parsley, ...

Kharcho-spiced Salmon and Chorizo  I went to a spice shop with my friend the other day. I splurged on vanilla bean paste and replenished some of my dried herbs. As I walked around the shop, my eye was caught by the various spice blends that the shop had. Normally I avoid spice blends because they are expensive and you can make them at home with your own herbs and spices. However, I came across a spice blend I had never heard of: kharcho. I would never had combined the required garlic, coriander, fenugreek leaves, caraway seeds, paprika, aleppo pepper on my own and what a delight I would have missed! This spice bend is normally used in Georgian dishes such as lamb stew, rice, pork and beef stew. I have experimented with it and greatly enjoy it with seafood, including salmon, shrimp and scallops. Since kharcho contains paprika and garlic, I felt my favorite cured sausage meat, the always delicious chorizo, would make a wonderful addition. Rounding out the dish is brocc...

Nutty apple oatmeal raisin cookies My favorite cookie in the world is an oatmeal raisin cookie. More than peanut butter cookies, more than chocolate chip cookies, more than shortbread cookies, oatmeal raisin is my go-to cookie. I love the texture, the flavor, the fruit and nuts. I also love to tweak it. In this recipe, I added an apple and steel cut oats. Apple was an easy addition; apple crisp is y very favorite dessert ever and in my mind, this melds the oatmeal raisin cookie and apple crisp into one super tasty treat. I added the steel cut oats to provide other layer of texture- the crunch of nuts, the explosion of the raisins, the crisp of the apple, the soft chew of the rolled oats, and the bite of steel cut oats. Perfection. Eat this with a tall glass of milk? Heaven. Ingredients: 1 cup flour 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup brow sugar 1/4 cup granulated sugar...

Crustless Quiche I love making big breakfasts on the weekend; I have the time to enjoy my favorite meal of the day! Even better are the kinds of recipes that produce leftovers that can be enjoyed for breakfasts during the week and are very easy and healthy to make. This recipe checks all the boxes. Delicious, jam-packed with veggies and greens, easy as pie to make, and reheats like a dream. Make a big pan of this crustless quiche on Sunday and you’ll have a delicious breakfast on those “I have to be up now?” mornings during the week. Enjoy! Ingredients: 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 3 scallions, thinly sliced 1 green bell pepper, diced 2 cups cremini mushrooms sliced 3 cups kale chopped 12 eggs 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese 1/2 cup milk 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon drie marjoram  Method: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F; prepare a 9 by 13 inch baking ...