Kaki, my dear, it’s cold again!  Then it’s hot again!  Then it’s sleeting to the point that choir rehearsal is cancelled so you have time enough to blog one evening!  January Madness.

I’m still cooking through my pantry and fridge and freezer this month and so far, so good.  I did break down and buy a bunch of kale and a bag of bulk carrots because I reached a point where I couldn’t handle the lack of vegetables any longer.  Also, that carrot salad has just been calling to me, I couldn’t stay away.

This week Holly and I used some of the fish from my freezer and some peas from her freezer for a really quick dinner.  Have you ever done the oven-steaming method using parchment paper?  It’s a French technique (heck, aren’t they all), and I was shocked at how easy it was.  You:

Cut a large sheet of parchment.

Fold it in half.

Unfold it.

Place veggies, fish, olive oil, wine, salt, pepper, and herbs on one half of the parchment.

Yes, those are Girl Scout Cookie boxes in the background.

Fold other half over the ingredients.

Roll the edges up until they are creased enough to stay closed.

This was the hardest part. So, not hard. But still, be persistent in the creasing of the paper.

Bake in a 400*F oven for about 12-15 minutes.

Look at that steam expansion!

DONE.

Next time I’ll also add some butter for added richness, and the recipe called for lemon slices which we just forgot.  We added some tartar sauce at the table and the creaminess was a great addition, so a yogurt- or mayo- or sour-cream-based sauce would be great to have on hand as well.  I will definitely be making this again, it’s so quick and versatile and tasty.

Then last night I made these teeny little shortbread-like cookies with some coconut flour that a co-worker gave to me*.  I think another flour of some type would be a good addition to these, for a little variety of texture, but otherwise it was a great “I need something sweet to go with my tea while I watch yet another Doctor Who episode” recipe.  Also, I’m thinking it could make a good gluten-free tart crust.  A good find.

One super simple recipe. Four two-bite cookies. Perfect end-of-the-evening snack!

While we’re on gluten-free recipes, it turns out I now have coconut flour, brown rice flour, and tapioca in my pantry, which is hilarious since I don’t really abide by gluten-free-ness at all.  But suddenly, since I’m trying to make do with what I have, I’m exploring ways to use these together.  This chocolate chip cookie recipe has my eye right now, but I think the xanthum gum is a pretty important ingredient, no?  Do you think I could leave it out?  Replace it with something?  Or do you have any recipes for these ingredients that are Kaki Tested and Approved**?

Let me know, Kaks.  Talk to you soon!

–Caitlin

*Turns out when your co-workers know you like to cook, you get things.  No joke, I’ve been given my immersion blender, pizza stone, food scale, lots of garden veggies, once a half-head of cabbage, and now coconut flour and some coconut butter from co-workers who just “weren’t using them”.  YEEESSS, thank you!

**Other than those fabulous looking Carrot Cake Protein Bars, naturally.  I’d need to get flax and protein powder for those!