Fall Coleslaw

Fall is the perfect time to make Coleslaw.  It has all the right vegetables in season -- cabbage, carrots, and radishes.  It keeps for a good long while and most importantly, the tangy-sweet dressing combined with the hardy vegetables is delicious!  You can also add other vegetables to the mix.  For the version pictured, I added one peeled, grated raw beet and one peeled, grated raw turnip.  This is a great way to hide vegetables that you or your loved ones may not like much, because once they're in the vinegar mix you don't even know they're there!

Not only is this salad great as a side dish (or even a main dish), but it's great on top of a pulled pork sandwich, or nestled alongside some BBQ ribs.  It's fantastic with anything rich and meaty, as it cuts the fatty flavor and accents the sweet tangy undertones of the meat.  Yum!


Fall Coleslaw
Recipe adapted from AllRecipes
Serves 8-10

Ingredients:
1 head of cabbage (medium)
2 large carrots
1 onion (I prefer red but you can use yellow or white)
2-3 radishes
1 beet (optional)
1 turnip (optional)
1/2 - 1 cup sugar (if you're using lots of spicier veggies, like the onion, radishes, and turnips, you may need more sugar)
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon parsley
1 teaspoon prepared mustard

First, finely chop the cabbage and onion.  Peel the carrots, beets and turnip and trim the root ends off the radishes.  Grate carrots, beets, turnip, and radishes on the large holes of a cheese grater.  Toss all vegetables together.  Add sugar and toss to coat.  Let sit while preparing dressing.
In a small saucepan combine vinegars, oil, salt, parsley, and mustard.  Bring to a boil and cook, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and let sit until mostly cool, around 20 minutes.  Pour dressing over cabbage mixture and toss to coat.  Refrigerate for at least 8 hours. 
This salad keeps very well for a week, and I believe the flavor improves daily! 

Baba Ghanoush (or Moutabel)

We lived in the Middle East for three years towards the beginning of our marriage, and we absolutely fell in love with the food there.  I already liked hummus, but I had never heard of what the locals called Moutabel. It is essentially the same thing as hummus, but made of roasted eggplant instead of chickpeas.  The rest of the recipe is nearly identical.  In India they call this Baba Ghanoush, which is what most people probably know it by.  

Because it's made with roasted eggplant, it has a smokey depth that is very different from hummus.  The tahini flavor of hummus is muted a lot in the Baba Ghanoush, and instead it's creamier and richer.  I love love love this, which is why I was so happy to get some eggplants in my CSA delivery this week. I immediately knew what to make!

You can eat Baba Ghanoush the same way you eat hummus, namely with pita, crackers,
veggies, or with grilled meat or veggies.  Tonight we ate it with Arabic-seasoned beef kabobs, grilled mini sweet peppers, grilled grape tomatoes, and grilled onions.  Oh, and some homemade pita, recipe courtesy of this website.

As a note, tahini is also known as tahina or sesame paste.  Every grocery store seems to put it in a different location.  Sometimes it's with the peanut butter and other nut butters, sometimes it's with the foreign food, sometimes it's in the "health food" section.  Ask someone at customer service to look it up for you before you search the whole store.  It will save you time!

Baba Ghanoush

Ingredients:
2 large purple eggplants (not the Japenese variety)
1/4 cup tahini (sesame paste)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tsp)
1 1/2 tsp salt
Olive oil for garnish
Sumac for garnish (optional)

First you need to roast the eggplant.  Cut away the green leafy bits around the stem of the eggplants, but leave the stem itself on, as it makes a handy place to hold.  Spray the skin of the eggplants with cooking spray, and then place them under the broiler (on a baking sheet) or on a grill.  If you have adjustable heat settings, keep it on high.  Turn them every 5-10 minutes, and cook until the skins are black and cracking, about 20-25 minutes.  Then set them aside for at least 20 minutes to cool, or until they're cool enough to handle with your bare hands.

Once the eggplant is cool, peel away the skin.  It should come off fairly easily if you've cooked it enough.  Then slice the eggplant all the way around from top to bottom, like you're cutting open an avocado.  Using a spoon, scrape out all the seeds, leaving only the firm pulpy part of the eggplant.  Remove the stem end, and toss whatever you have left (the pulpy part of the eggplant) into a food processor or blender. 

Puree the eggplant until fairly smooth.  Add in the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and salt and process until well combined.  If it's way too thick to mix you can add a little water.  JUST A LITTLE!  When finished blending, pour the Baba Ghanoush into a serving bowl, swirl a little olive oil on top, sprinkle a bit of sumac over it, and serve!

Will keep for about a week in the refrigerator.  Can be served warm, room temperature, or cool, but I prefer slightly warm. 

Makes about 3 cups.

Zucchini Lasagne

It's that time of year again -- Zucchini Time!  They are plentiful at the moment, and I'm loving it!  Unfortunately, I'm the only member of my family that loves the zukes, which means I end up having to "hide" them in foods quite often.  I love making Zucchini Bread, as well as Slow-Cooker Thai Chicken, which uses zucchini as well.  But I wanted something new. 

I was talking with my friend Amy and she mentioned that she had made lasagne, substituting zucchini for the noodles.  Her only complaint was that you didn't taste enough of the zucchini.  Perfect! I thought.  My family will love it!  Of course, if you are a big lover of zucchini you can double it, and just put thicker layers of the zucchini between the layers of cheese and meat.

I served this with some amazing cheesy garlic bread that I found on this site.

As a side note, this makes one 8"x8" square pan, enough for 6 servings.  If you want a 9"x13" pan, you can double the recipe.

Zucchini Lasagne
Recipe adapted from Natalie Beal

Ingredients:
1 T olive oil
1/2 lb Italian sausage
1 tsp minced garlic
1 T fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes (or 2 fresh tomatoes, chopped)
1 6-oz can tomato paste
1 large zucchini, very thinly sliced into circles or half-circles (use a Mandolin or food processor if you have one!)
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
1 egg
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 lb shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375F.
In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add Italian sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned.  Add garlic, basil, salt, tomatoes, and tomato paste and stir to combine.  Cook 5-10 minutes on a low simmer.  Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine cottage cheese, egg, Parmesan cheese, parsley, pepper and all but 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese.  Set aside the last 1/4 cup of mozzarella to put on top of the lasagne before baking.
Spoon a very small amount of the meat sauce into the bottom of an 8"x8" square pan and spread to thinly cover the bottom.  Layer half the zucchini, with edges of circles slightly overlapping, in rows until the bottom of the pan is covered.  Next spread half the cheese mixture on top of the zucchini, followed by half the meat mixture.  Next layer the remaining zucchini slices, followed by the remainder of the cheese and then the meat sauce.  Top with the 1/4 cup reserved mozzarella cheese.
Bake in the preheated 375F oven for 30 minutes.  Let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Serves 6.

Tomato and Avocado Salad

My tomatoes are ripe!  It's the time I look forward to most during the summer.  Due to the restrictive space of living in a townhouse, as well as all the trees that make the space I do have very shady, last year my husband and I decided to put a garden on our roof.  Luckily our roof is flat, which makes this all possible.  It's been a huge success, and it makes me so happy to see all my little plants creating delicious miracles.

Tomatoes are in full swing at the moment, and I've been picking a handful of cherry tomatoes and one big tomato every other day or so.  Now don't get me wrong, I love them dearly, but you do need to come up with something to do with all this produce when it hits.  I have made my favorite Tomato Basil Tart, and tomato sandwiches, and eaten them fresh with just a sprinkling of salt and pepper.  But otherwise I'm mostly putting my delicious tomatoes in salads.

Of course, I'm out of lettuce at the moment (and the lettuce that is still growing in my garden has gotten bitter and yucky due to the 90-degree weather we've been enjoying), so I had to come up with something else.  I often make a tomato-cucumber salad, but tonight I wanted something a little different.  Fresh, and flavorful, and just a tad creamy.  And ta-da!  This salad was born.

I combined the cherry tomatoes with a regular-sized tomato because I love the contrasting colors, but you could of course use all of one type.  And if you're in a big hurry you can just toss on a little vinegarette dressing and call it good, but I think this is better because it doesn't overwhelm the flavor of the tomatoes.

If you were feeling gutsy, you could also add a little bit of feta, goat cheese, or fresh mozzarella.

This salad was so delicious and light and just perfect on a hot summer day.  Enjoy!

Tomato and Avocado Salad

Ingredients:
1 large tomato
8-10 cherry tomatoes (I used the Sungold variety)
6 large basil leaves
1 avocado
2 Tbs olive oil
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Toss all ingredients in a bowl.  Let sit for 10-15 minutes to marinate, then serve at room temperature.

Makes 2 side dish servings or one main dish serving.

Quick and Tasty Tomato Soup

We've had a very strange Spring in Virginia this year.  It was a dry winter until March, when we suddenly had more snow than we'd had in the past two years combined.  That set Spring back a bit, and even at the end of April we had days that were 40 degrees.  It's mid-June and I'm still picking sugar snap peas from my garden.  Today is not that cool, but it is raining, as it did two days ago and as it will again tomorrow.  For lunch I wanted something cozy and comforting, and fell to that old favorite, Tomato Soup.

This recipe is great because it's easy, delicious, and quick as a flash!  If you serve it with some homemade bread or garlicky croutons, all the better.

Quick and Tasty Tomato Soup

Ingredients:
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 cup milk (you can use water but it won't have a creamy taste)
3 large leaves of fresh basil, finely chopped (or 1/4 tsp dried basil)
1 tsp fresh parsley, finely chopped (or a dash dried parsley)
A dash of granulated garlic
1 tsp Parmesan cheese

In a small saucepan combine tomato paste, milk, basil, parsley, and garlic.  Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until warm and aromatic, about five minutes.  If desired, puree in blender (though I don't think it's necessary unless you don't like to see your herbs).  Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top and serve.

Makes one serving, but is easily multiplied to feed more.

Radishes Braised in Cream with Garlic and Thyme

Radishes are the last of the new vegetables we're trying in January.  My husband and I have both eaten radishes lots of times, and love them crunchy and raw on salads.  My kids also tried them raw and liked them quite a bit.

But none of us had ever had them cooked.  This recipe looked delicious, and didn't fail to satisfy.  We served it with Fauxtisserie chicken and root vegetables, and it was a great addition to the mix.  Also, they're pink, which might make for a good addition to your Valentine's Day meal!

Radishes Braised in Cream with Garlic and Thyme
Recipe by Cook's Illustrated

Ingredients:
1 T butter
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
20 medium or 16 large radishes, preferably with their greens still attached to insure freshness
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 Tbs heavy cream
1 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves
Salt and pepper, to taste

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  When the butter sizzles, add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.  Add radishes and cook 1 minute.  Add broth, cream, and thyme.  Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until radishes are tender, about 10 minutes.  Remove cover and cook until liquid thickens, about 1 minute longer.  Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Serves 4 as a side dish.

Roasted Beets with Spinach, Walnut, and Goat Cheese Salad

Beets are the second vegetable my children picked to try this month.  I must admit, I had never tasted a beet.  I'd seen them at salad bars and always steered clear of the jiggly, purple vegetable.  So I was pleasantly surprised when I tasted them.  They're quite good when you cook them yourself, and the texture is not at all jiggly.  They actually taste a bit like broccoli.  They were good on this salad, and soon we'll be using the leftovers to make borscht.  You can also serve the beets on their own, if you'd like.

Roasted Beets with Spinach, Walnut, and Goat Cheese Salad
Beet recipe adapted from Cook's Illustrated
Salad recipe by Holly Beal

Ingredients:
2 medium beets (about 1/2 lb)
2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
6 cups baby spinach, washed
1/4 cup walnuts
2 T herbed goat cheese
1/4 cup mixed salad sprouts (such as alfalfa, broccoli, radish, etc.)

Preheat oven to 400F.  Trim all but 1 inch of the stems from the beets.  Wash beats well and remove dangling roots.  Wrap each beet individually in aluminum foil and place in a shallow roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet.  Roast until a skewer inserted into a beet comes out easily, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Remove beets from oven and carefully open aluminum foil.  Allow to cool until cool enough to handle.  With paper towels in hand, rub the skin from the beets.  Slice 1/4-inch thick.  Toss beets with oil and salt and pepper.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

For the salad, combine spinach, walnuts, sprouts, and goat cheese.  Arrange sliced beets on top of salad.  Serve immediately.

Serves 6.

Beef with Bok Choy

Beef and Bok Choy. Sorry for the phone photo, I couldn't find the real camera.

As promised earlier, my kids and I are trying new vegetables this year.  I now present our first one: Bok Choy!  Ta-Da!  I have eaten bok choy before at various Asian restaurants, but had never cooked it myself.  However, it was easy to cook and got good reviews from my kids (more about those later).  The recipe I was looking at was only for the bok choy itself, so I added to the recipe to include some beef.  You could just as easily use chicken or pork and not change anything else, so feel free to substitute. 

First, about buying bok choy.  There are a few varieties of bok choy, but the major difference you need to know about is the difference between regular bok choy and baby bok choy.  The baby kind is small (about 6-inches tall) while the regular bok choy is much bigger (mine was about 15-inches!).  For this recipe you'll want to buy the big kind.  If you buy the little kind you won't have anything to cut off and it will cook totally differently.

And with that, the recipe...

Beef with Bok Choy
Recipe adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Ingredients:
1 lb steak, chicken, or pork
1/2 cup soy sauce, divided
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons peanut oil (or you can use canola or vegetable oil)
1 medium head bok choy (1 1/2 - 2 lbs)
1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger root

First, to prepare the meat, slice against the grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices.  In a ziplock bag combine all but 2 tablespoons of soy sauce with the minced garlic; add meat and let marinate about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the bok choy.  Chop off the bottom inch of the bok choy, then separate and wash all the leaves.  Pat each leaf dry, then cut the green leafy part away from the white stalk part.  Slice each stalk in half lengthwise, then crosscut into 1/4-inch thick pieces.  Set aside.  Pile all the green leaf parts on top of each other and cut into 1/2-inch wide strips.  Cross cut if desired.  Keep the chopped greens and stalks separate.

In a small bowl, combine remaining 2 Tbs soy sauce with 1 tsp sugar and set aside.

Heat 1 Tbs oil in large nonstick skillet over medium high heat.  Add meat, discarding the remaining marinade, and stir-fry until just cooked, about 3-5 minutes.  Remove meat into serving bowl and wipe skillet with a paper towel.  Pour remaining 2 Tbs oil into skillet and heat until almost smoking.  Add the bok choy stalks and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.  Add the ginger and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the leafy part of the bok choy, meat, and the soy sauce mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until leaves are wilted, about 1 minute.

Serve immediately, over rice or noodles.
Serves 6.

My husband and I liked this dish pretty well. 
My kids rated this dish as follows:
E (age 7): Bok choy stalks, 9/10;  bok choy leaves, 10/10; meat, 10/10; everything together, 10/10.
J (age 6): Bok choy stalks, 19/20; bok choy leaves, 19/20; meat, 18/20; everything together, 19/20.
E (age 4): Bok choy stalks and leaves, yuck; meat, good; everything together, no thank you.
G (age 2): Chocolate, please?

Home Fries

Home Fries, or sometimes they're called hash browns, are ridiculously easy to make and are so homey and delicious.  They are good for breakfast or dinner, with pancakes or pork chops.  They're really just potatoes that are pre-cooked, then seasoned and browned.  Easy-peasy, and sure to please everyone!

Home Fries

Ingredients:
3 large baking potatoes (Russets are the best!)
1 Tbs butter
1 Tbs vegetable oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Wash potatoes and stab a few times with the tines of a fork.  Place in a microwave oven and cook on high for 12-15 minutes, or until potatoes feel tender when you squeeze them (use a hotpad!).  Alternatively, you could use leftover baked potatoes.  Remove potatoes from microwave and carefully slice the skins off using a paring knife.  Discard skins, then cut potatoes into 1/2" cubes.

Combine butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add potatoes and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.  Stir potatoes carefully with spatula to coat all sides in butter/oil mixture.  Let brown, stirring every 3-4 minutes, until potatoes are slightly crisp and browned on all sides, about 15 minutes total.  Serve immediately.

Makes 4 side-dish servings.

Winter Pomegranate, Orange, and Avocado Salad

Winter is a time full of heavy meats and rich stews, warm breads and plentiful sweets.  And in the midst of all of that, sometimes you just want a salad!  This one utilizes the fruits that are at their peak in the winter months, and is a great addition to any holiday meal.

Winter Pomegranate, Orange, and Avocado Salad

Ingredients:
6-8 cups mixed salad greens or baby spinach (or a combination of both)
1 cup pomegranate seeds*
2 Clementine oranges, peeled, and segments separated and cut in half
1 large pear, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2" cubes
1 avocado, peeled, deseeded, and cut into 1/2" cubes
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 cup water
1 cup walnuts or pecans
2 T sugar
Poppy Seed Dressing

In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook sugar without stirring until melting and light brown in color.  Quickly toss in nuts and stir until evenly coated in sugar.  Pour onto waxed paper or parchment paper and place in freezer for 10 minutes.  When cooled, transfer nuts to cutting board and roughly chop.

In a small bowl, mix together lemon juice and water.  Dip pear cubes into water to prevent browning. Discard water, and set pears aside.

In a large serving bowl or salad bowl combine salad greens, oranges, onions and pears.  Top with avocados, pomegranate seeds, and chopped sugared nuts.  Serve with poppy seed dressing.

Serves 6 as a side dish.

*For tips on getting the pomegranate seeds out of the pomegranate, watch this helpful video by Martha Stewart. It's definitely my preferred method!

Beef and Broccoli

This is a quintessential Chinese dish, found at every Chinese restaurant in America.  I've tried several different recipes for Beef and Broccoli over the years, and stopped looking when I found this one.  It came from my good friend Ie Li, who once told me that she spent a good portion of her growing up years playing under the table at Chinese restaurants.  That's all the qualification I needed to trust her Asian faire.

Beef and Broccoli
Recipe by Ie Li Zachrison

Ingredients:
1 lb flank steak, sliced across the grain into strips 2 inches long and 1/4 inch thick
3 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs chicken broth
2 Tbs oyster sauce
1 Tbs brown sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbs cornstarch
6 cloves garlic, mined
1 Tbs minced fresh ginger
3 Tbs vegetable oil
1 lb broccoli florets
1 small red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
3 medium scallions (green onions), cut on the diagonal into 1/2" pieces

Combine the beef and soy sauce in a medium bowl; cover and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour.  Meanwhile, whisk chicken broth, oyster sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and cornstarch in a small bowl.  Combine the garlic, ginger, and 1 1/2 tsp of vegetable oil in a separate small bowl.

Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons of vegetable oil in a nonstick 12-inch skillet over high heat until smoking.  Drain the beef and discard the liquid.  Add the beef to the skillet and break up the clumps.  Cook without stirring for 1 minute, then stir and cook until the beef is brown around the edges, about 30 seconds.  Remove the beef to a serving bowl.

Add 1 tsp oil to the empty skillet and heat until smoking.  Add broccoli and stir-fry until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes.  Transfer into the bowl with the beef.

Add the remaining oil to the empty skillet and heat until smoking.  Add the bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 1 1/2 minutes.  Clear the center of the skillet and add the garlic and ginger mixture, mashing with a spoon until fragrant, about 15-20 seconds.  Stir the mixture into the peppers, then return the beef and broccoli to the pan, stirring to combine.  Pour the sauce over everything and stir and cook until the sauce is thickened, about 30 seconds.  Transfer to the serving bowl, sprinkle with scallions, and serve over steamed rice.

Serves 4.

Glazed Carrots

My mom discovered this recipe a few years back and now it makes it onto her table fairly frequently.  It's great for holidays, because it does that great trick of making a vegetable taste like a dessert.  Even my cousin, who hates vegetables, has seconds with this one.


Glazed Carrots

Ingredients:
2 lbs carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/8"-thick "pennies"
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1 Tbs water
4 tsp lemon juice
1/4 cup butter

Boil the carrots in a saucepan of slightly salted water until just tender, about 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F. Combine brown sugar, cornstarch, water, lemon juice, and butter in a small saucepan and cook until translucent and thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

When carrots are tender, drain and place in an 8x8" or casserole dish. Pour glaze over carrots and bake at 350F for about 15 minutes. Serve warm.
Makes about 6 servings.

Summer Pasta with Tomatoes, Goat Cheese and Basil

There are few meals that are quicker and easier to throw together than pasta.  Additionally, the variations you can do with simple pasta are endless.  This one utilizes fresh garden tomatoes and basil, along with some white beans and goat cheese for protein.  A perfectly light and delicious meal!

Summer Pasta with Tomatoes, Goat Cheese, and Basil

Ingredients:
1/2 lb (8 oz) angel hair pasta (or your favorite type of pasta)
2-3 medium tomatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, washed and torn into bite-size pieces
4 T fresh goat cheese
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 T olive oil
8 oz (about half a can) of Cannellini or Great Northern beans

Cook pasta according to directions on package.  When pasta is done cooking, drain, and then put into serving bowl.  Toss pasta with olive oil and then garlic powder.  Add goat cheese and toss for a minute until the cheese is slightly melty.  Toss in the tomatoes, beans, and basil.  Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Peach and Basil Salad

My sister told me about this salad, which a friend had made for her, and I decided I had to try it.  It's so simple and delicious, and the flavor combinations are unique and beautiful.  This is a great way to showcase the peaches that are in season right now.  If you'd like, you can drizzle a bit of balsamic vinegar on top just before serving, but it's plenty delicious without it.

Peach and Basil Salad
Recipe by Rachel Morrissey

Ingredients:
5 peaches, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
6 large basil leaves, thinly sliced into long strips
2 T goat cheese or feta

In a medium serving bowl toss together the peaches and basil.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 6.  Just before serving, remove peaches from refrigerator and crumble cheese on top.

Makes 4-6 side dish servings.

Chicken, Asparagus, and Black Bean Enchiladas

Many years ago, when I first got married, someone gave me a cookbook called Intercourses, which supposedly contains recipes full of aphrodisiacs.  It has lots of fun recipes in it, but the one that I have gone back to multiple times is the one for Chicken, Asparagus, and Black Bean Enchiladas.  I can't say that it makes me feel anything other than happy that I'm eating something delicious, but since that's my main requirement for food, I'd say it passes the test!  This is how I make it.

Chicken, Asparagus, and Black Bean Enchiladas
Recipe adapted from Intercourses by Martha Hopkins and Randall Lockridge

Ingredients:
2 T olive oil
1/2 - 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups salsa, divided
1 (15-oz) can black beans, undrained
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground chile powder
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup sliced green onions
6 flour tortillas
3/4 pound blanched asparagus (about 18 stalks)
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease a 9x13-inch pan.
In a large skillet heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add chicken and garlic and stir fry until tender and cooked through, about 5-6 minutes.  Stir in 1/4 cup salsa, beans, bell pepper, cumin, and chile powder.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer for 7-8 minutes, or until thickened, stirring occasionally.  Sir in the green onions.
Spoon the filling down the center of each tortilla.  Add 3 asparagus stalks and top with cheese, reserving 1/4 cup for garnish.  Roll up and place seam-side down in the baking dish. Enchiladas can be prepared up to this point and then refrigerated up to 8 hours, or can be baked immediately.
Combine remaining salsa with sour cream and pour over the top of the enchiladas.  Bake at 350F for 15 minutes.  Top with remaining cheese and bake an additional 5 minutes, or until the cheese melts.  Can serve with chopped tomatoes, guacamole, and/or additional salsa.
Makes 6 enchiladas.

Tomato Basil Tart

The other day we were eating this for dinner and my sister, who often dines with us, asked why this recipe wasn't on my blog.  I was shocked.  Surely it was on my blog.  This is a go-to summertime recipe for me.  So I checked, and lo and behold, she was right.  So here it is.

This recipe is a great way to showcase your garden tomatoes, especially if you (like me) get about 20 ripe all at once.  It's prettier if you have tomatoes of varying size and color, but plain red ones will work just fine. 

The thing I love about this recipe is that it's unique.  The crust is made with pureed corn as well as cornmeal, and gives a great flavor to the crust, which in my opinion is usually the worst part of the pizza.  The fresh herbs and rustic look just add to the overall light and fresh feeling.  It really is my favorite thing to make in summertime. 

As a note, if you can't find fontina cheese you can substitute mozzarella, but it's really much better with the fontina.

Tomato Basil Tart
Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:
2-3 lbs tomatoes
1 tsp salt, divided
1 cup corn kernels (you can use canned, fresh, or frozen)
1 T fresh lemon juice
3 T sour cream
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup cold butter
1 T cornmeal
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil (you can substitute dried, about 2 T)
4 oz shredded fontina cheese
1 T chopped fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Slice tomatoes into 1/4"-thick circles and arrange in a single layer on several layers of paper towels. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt and let stand about 20 minutes, while you make the rest of the tart.

Preheat oven to 400F. 
In blender or food processor combine corn, lemon juice, and sour cream, processing until mostly smooth.  In a medium bowl whisk together flour, 1/4 cup cornmeal, and remaining 1/2 tsp salt.  Using the large holes in a box grater, grate the cold butter over the flour mixture.  Use hands to toss and rub the butter into the flour mixture until evenly distributed.  Add the corn mixture and mix into a soft dough.

Lay out two overlapping sheets of plastic wrap.  Place the dough on the wrap and press into a circle.  Cover with two more overlapping sheets of plastic wrap.  Roll into a 14-inch circle, then place the dough in the freezer for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, sprinkle the 1 T cornmeal on a baking sheet in a 12-inch circle.  Combine basil, fontina cheese, oregano, and ground black pepper in a small bowl.

Remove dough from freezer.  Removing plastic wrap, place dough on baking sheet.  Arrange cheese mixture on dough, leaving a 2" border around the edges.  Arrange tomato slices on the cheese, overlapping and creating more than one layer if you have that many tomatoes.  Fold edges of dough in towards the center, slightly overlapping the tomatoes, and crimping the edges to seal. 

Bake at 400F for 35 minutes or until the edges are browned.  Let sit for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Makes 4-5 servings.

Moroccan Cucumber Salad

This is a very basic and easy salad, but with the addition of the Moroccan spices it turns into a tasty and healthy side dish for Moroccan food.

Moroccan Cucumber Salad
Recipe by Norma Bergaust

Ingredients:
2-3 cucumbers, diced
4-5 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 medium red onion, minced
Juice of one lemon
2 T olive oil
Small bunch of cilantro, chopped
Small bunch of parsley, chopped
Salt to taste
1 1/2 tsp cumin

Combine all in a serving bowl and toss well.  Serve immediately.

Makes 6 side-dish servings.

Grilled Chicken and Garden Salsa

This recipe is from Southern Living Magazine, and is a lovely and quick thing to cook on a nice hot day.  It's a great idea to cook the vegetables on the foil, because they still get grilled, but without falling through the grates.  The flavor was great and I felt good about all those vegetables!  Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken and Garden Salsa
Recipe from Southern Living (May 2012)

Ingredients:
2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 Tbs freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tbs mayonnaise
2 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/2"-inch-wide strips
1 small onion, sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, quartered
2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

In a small bowl, combine Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper, then brush with cheese mixture.  Toss vegetables with oil, then place on a large piece of aluminum foil. 
Place chicken and vegetables (on the foil) on a preheated medium-high grill.  Grill for 6 minutes, flipping chicken and stirring up vegetables after three minutes.  Turn heat to medium-low and cook an additional 3-6 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Let chicken rest 5 minutes before serving.  Sprinkle basil over vegetables just before serving. 
Makes 4 servings.

Pear and Pecan Salad

With all the spring weather I've been making a lot of salads lately.  Also, I am growing my own baby lettuce mix this year for the first time, and it's so delicious I just keep eating it!  This salad was easy to throw together and was fantastic!  You can make a larger batch of the caramelized pecans and store them in an airtight container for a few weeks if you'd like.  That way you can throw them into any salad that comes your way.  Or munch on them in the dead of night.  Either way.

Pear and Pecan Salad

Ingredients:
2 T sugar
1/2 cup pecans
Mixed lettuce greens
1 pear, firm but ripe
1 small can mandarin oranges, or 1 clementine, peeled, sliced in half horizontally, and sectioned
1 avocado, peeled and cut into 1/2" chunks
1 T Craisins
2 T frozen or fresh blueberries
2 T goat cheese or feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp lemon juice


Lay out a sheet of parchment or wax paper.  In a medium-sized nonstick skillet melt the sugar over medium-low heat.  For a few minutes it will look like it's not doing anything, then all the sudden it will turn liquid, then will start to brown.  Just as it's become liquid but before it's brown, toss the pecans into the melted sugar.  Using a spatula, stir until the pecans are coated in the brown carmelly sugar.  Pour out onto the wax or parchment paper and let cool for about 15 minutes (you can put it in the fridge to speed it up). Then either break it into pieces or chop it roughly (you don't want them finely chopped!).

In a small bowl combine the water and lemon juice.  Cut the pear into 16 slices, then cut each slice in half crosswise.  Dip the cut pears briefly into the lemon water.  This will prevent the pear turning brown and mushy for a few hours. 

In a large bowl combine the lettuce greens, pears, oranges, avocado, Craisins, and nuts.  Toss lightly, then top with the cheese and blueberries.  Serve with poppy seed or a vinaigrette dressing.

Serves 4 as a main dish, or 6 as a side.

Summer Chickpea Salad

Sorry for the terrible picture--this was all that was left when I remembered to take one!

I love this salad.  It's so different from an average salad (read: no lettuce!), and is light and flavorful and perfect for a summer day.  Or a day where you're wishing it felt like summer!  The addition of fresh herbs is not completely mandatory, but it really does make a difference in the flavor, and appearance, of the salad, so I highly recommend using the real (fresh) thing. 

Summer Chickpea Salad
Recipe by Jamie Oliver

Ingredients:
1 small red onion, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced
1 jalapeno or other chili pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced
1 large tomato, roughly chopped
1 lemon, juiced
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 14-oz jar of chickpeas, drained
1 T fresh mint, chopped
2 T fresh basil, finely ripped or cut
7 oz feta or goat cheese (chevre)

In a large bowl combine red onion, jalapeno, and tomatoes.  Measure the lemon juice, then add it to the bowl. Add three times as much olive oil as you had lemon juice.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Add in most of the chickpeas, reserving about 10 percent.  Mash up the 10 percent, then add them to the bowl as well.  Stir everything together, and you can let it sit in the bowl at room temperature for awhile if you'd like. 

Just before serving, add in the mint and basil, then top with the cheese.  Serve at room temperature.

Makes 6 side dish servings.