Monday, June 11, 2012

Tri Not?

This tri-color salad is ridiculously easy—as well as delicious.

Endive
Radicchio
Arugula

That's it. Dress lightly with some vinagrete, salt and pepper.

Add chicken or some other protein to serve as a main course, especially for lunch.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

The more cheese, the better!

Summer Squash Three Cheese Enchiladas Casserole
from Not your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook


Ingredients:
tbl olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb green zucchini or other summer squash, ends trimmed, and cut into 3/4 in thick rounds
1 lb yellow scalloped squash or other summer squash, cut into 3/4 in rounds
1 tsp dried oregano or 2 tbl minced fresh oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 cup fresh corn kernels, or frozen corn-thawed
2 cups finely shredded Monterey jack cheese
2 cups finely shredded cheddar cheese
1 bottle green chile enchilada sauce
1 dozen soft corn tortillas, each cut into 4 strips
8 oz queso fresco or rinsed and well drained mild feta cheese, crumbled


Saute onions in oil until soft, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini/squash and saute a few minutes until brown. Add the spices, garlic and corn. Remove from heat. 

Combine the Jack and Cheddar cheese.  Pour 1/2 c of the enchilada sauce mix into the slow cooker and spread it around.

Layer the 4 items, 1/3 tortilla strips, 1/4 enchilada sauce, 1/3 sauteed veggies, 1/4 cheese. Sprinkle 1/4 queso fresco on top of the layer. Repeat layers two more times, ending with the queso fresco. 

Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hrs or on LOW for 4 hrs. The casserole will begin to brown around the edges, but do not allow it to burn.

Just another quinoa salad

Quinoa Salad with Apples, Walnuts and a whole bunch of other yummy stuff
from Finecooking.com

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups quinoa, preferably red 
Sea salt 
5 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil; more as needed 
1 large red onion, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise 
2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar 
4 oz. arugula, trimmed and thinly sliced (about 3 cups) 
4 oz. aged Gouda, finely diced (about 1 cup) 
3 medium celery stalks, thinly sliced 
1 large, crisp apple, such as Fuji or Pink Lady, cut into 1/2-inch dice 
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped 
1 cup finely diced fennel 
3/4 cup dried cranberries 
3 Tbs. sherry vinegar 
Freshly ground black pepper 



Directions:


In a bowl, rinse the quinoa with water, rubbing it between your fingers for about 10 seconds. Drain and transfer it to a 3-quart pot. Add 2-1/2 cups water and 1/2 tsp. sea salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, covered, until the quinoa is tender but still delicately crunchy, about 15 minutes.

Drain the quinoa and return it to the pot. Cover and let the quinoa rest for 5 minutes; then fluff it with a fork. Let cool to room temperature.

While the quinoa cooks, heat 2 Tbs. of the olive oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt; cook, stirring frequently, until tender and brown around the edges, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and toss with the onions until the vinegar cooks away, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl, mix the quinoa, onions, arugula, cheese, celery, apple, walnuts, fennel, and cranberries.

In a small bowl, whisk the remaining 3 Tbs. olive oil with the sherry vinegar, 1/2 tsp. sea salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Add the dressing to the salad and gently mix it in. Let rest a moment; then season to taste with salt and pepper. Add more olive oil if the salad seems dry.


Ad-meyer this salad

Meyer Lemon Radicchio Salad
from Whole Living magazine


Ingredients:
1 Meyer lemon
  • 1 cup chopped Vidalia onion
  • 1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 15-oz. can rinsed and drained chickpeas
  • 2 cups sliced radicchio
  • 1/4 cup crumbled feta
  • 2 tablespoons fresh Meyer lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper


Directions:
Chop lemon into 1/2-inch pieces and remove seeds. In a medium bowl toss with onion, parsley, chickpeas, radicchio, feta, lemon juice, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Yum!

Spinach, Sausage and Potato Breakfast Casserole
from bonappetit.com

Ingredients

  • 16 large eggs
  • 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt plus more
  • 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
  • 12 ounces fresh breakfast sausage links
  • 2 cups sliced leeks, white and green parts only
  • 2 russet potatoes (1 1/2 lb.), peeled, shredded, and lightly squeezed
  • 1 pound frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry, roughly chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups (4 oz.) grated Gruyère
  • 1/2 cup (1 1/2 oz.) grated Parmesan

Preparation

1. Position a rack in top third of the oven; preheat to 350°.

2. Whisk eggs, cream, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, and 3/4 tsp. pepper in a large bowl; set aside.

3. Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in a 12” cast-iron or nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add sausages and cook, turning often, until browned all over, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add leeks to skillet. Season with salt; cook until wilted, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl.

4. Melt 3 Tbsp. butter in same skillet over medium heat. Add potatoes, spreading out in an even layer. Cook without stirring until bottom and edges are crisp and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Slide potato pancake onto a large plate. Invert onto another large plate. Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in skillet. Slide potato pancake into skillet browned side up; cook until bottom is golden brown, about 10 minutes.

5. Scatter spinach, leeks, and sausages over potato pancake, each in an even layer. Season with salt and pepper, then pour in egg mixture. Sprinkle both cheeses over.

6. Bake until casserole is puffed and golden brown, 35–40 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Kale-O-Rama

Casserole of Late Fall Greens
from 100 Mile Diet: Local Eating for Global Change

Ingredients:
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs (I used gluten free)
kosher salt and black pepper
1 cup heavy cream
2 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
2.5 ounces of bacon (about 3 strips)
2 cups winter greens (I used kale but you could also try spinach, swiss chard, etc)
1/3 cup freshly grated hard cheese

1. To prepare and cook greens, remove any tough stems and roughly chop. Bring pot of lightly salted water to a boil and cook until greens are tender (spinach: 30 seconds, chard: 1 minute, kale: 8 mins). Drain and squeeze to remove excess water.

2. Preheat oven to 400. Butter a 4 cup shallow gratin dish. Toss together breadcrumbs and 1 tbsp of melted butter with salt and ground pepper, set aside.

3. In medium saucepan, bring cream and garlic to a boil over medium-high heat and then turn down heat and stir vigorously until cream is reduced to about 3/4 cup. Take pan off heat, remove garlic and discard. Let cream cook slightly. Season with 1/4 tsp salt and few grinds of black pepper.

4. In large skillet, cook bacon until crisp and brown. Drain on paper towel. Remove most of fat from pan, add remaining butter and return pan to heat. Add cooked greens with 1/4 tsp salt and cook stirring constantly for 1 minute. Evenly spread warmed greens to gratin pan.

5. Crumble bacon over greens. Sprinkle on cheese. Pour seasoned cream over everything and top with breadcrumbs. Bake at 400 until brown and bubble, about 25 minutes. Let rest 10 mins before serving.


Baked Pumpkin Steel Cut Oatmeal

from the www.thekitchn.com
serves 4 to 6

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 1/2 cups steel cut oats
1 cup pumpkin or squash puree
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups milk
2 1/2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat the oven to 375°F. In a 3-quart (or larger) saucepan or Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat. (Your burner shouldn't be on at full blast, but the butter should melt quickly.) When the butter foams up, stir in the oats and fry them, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes or until they smell toasted.

Push the oats up against the side of the pan, and drop the second tablespoon of butter in the now clear center of the pan. Dump in the pumpkin puree. Fry it in the butter, only stirring after about a minute. Stir in the sugar and spices and continue frying the puree for another 3 to 4 minutes, or until the color darkens slightly and the raw smell disappears. It's OK if a few dark brown spots appear as the puree sticks to the pan.

Pour in the milk and whisk everything to combine. Whisk in the water, vanilla and salt. Put a lid on the pan and put it in the oven. Bake for 35 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven, and carefully lift the lid (be cautious as steam will billow out). Stir the oatmeal. It will look quite loose still, but the oats should be al dente and tender. The oatmeal will thicken rapidly as it cools.

Eat immediately with a drizzle of cream or milk and maple syrup, or let cool and then refrigerate. Heat up bowls in the microwave or on the stovetop.