Nibbles & Bits

Small bites from a life revolving around my sweet family, a love of cooking, and all things good.

I'm Ali. Email me at abkoper (AT) hotmail (DOT) com
Winter panzanella AKA toddler crack  We had our favorite vegan toddler over for dinner the other night on a whim. I had been planning to make butternut squash lasagna that night, but that just wouldn’t do. I didn’t want to buy a ton of new groceries when we’d just stocked up for the week, so scoured the cabinets to see what could be made very easily with stuff we had on hand. I had to run out to buy a loaf of bread, but that was it! And here’s the BEST part - a new bean method. I now bake my dry beans without even soaking overnight. It’s amazing. Method here, and it works just fine with a stainless pot rather than clay. I assembled: 1 butternuts squash, peeled, cubed and roasted  about 4 heads of broccoli, chopped and blanched (could be brussels sprouts, cauliflower, etc) a cup of dried cannellini beans, cooked (or 1 can, drained) 1 red onion, diced and sauteed (leeks would’ve been awesome, but didn’t have them on hand) a loaf of ciabatta, cubed, tossed with garlic, olive oil, salt (and parmesan if you wish) and toasted at 350 for about 15 or until crispy a white wine vinaigrette - dijon, a healthy pinch of sugar, salt and pepper, maybe a 1/2 cup of vinegar and 1/3 -1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil, whisked together And I lied, the true best part is that after the kids finished dinner, they went upstairs and played by themselves while the adults continued to (over)eat and drink sparkling wine. These glimmers of independence are startling yet thrilling.

Winter panzanella AKA toddler crack 

We had our favorite vegan toddler over for dinner the other night on a whim. I had been planning to make butternut squash lasagna that night, but that just wouldn’t do. I didn’t want to buy a ton of new groceries when we’d just stocked up for the week, so scoured the cabinets to see what could be made very easily with stuff we had on hand. I had to run out to buy a loaf of bread, but that was it!

And here’s the BEST part - a new bean method. I now bake my dry beans without even soaking overnight. It’s amazing. Method here, and it works just fine with a stainless pot rather than clay.

I assembled:

1 butternuts squash, peeled, cubed and roasted 

about 4 heads of broccoli, chopped and blanched (could be brussels sprouts, cauliflower, etc)

a cup of dried cannellini beans, cooked (or 1 can, drained)

1 red onion, diced and sauteed (leeks would’ve been awesome, but didn’t have them on hand)

a loaf of ciabatta, cubed, tossed with garlic, olive oil, salt (and parmesan if you wish) and toasted at 350 for about 15 or until crispy

a white wine vinaigrette - dijon, a healthy pinch of sugar, salt and pepper, maybe a 1/2 cup of vinegar and 1/3 -1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil, whisked together

And I lied, the true best part is that after the kids finished dinner, they went upstairs and played by themselves while the adults continued to (over)eat and drink sparkling wine. These glimmers of independence are startling yet thrilling.

  1. nibblesandbits posted this