Roasted Salmon March 5, 2010

I had a mishmash of things in the fridge and cupboard and managed to piece together a very pretty, healthy (though lacking on vegetables) and delicious dinner. Some frozen salmon from the freezer, an almost to old to use bulb of fennel from the fridge, a marinade of staples and a quick roast brought this salmon together. I often find myself wanting to use the same soy sauce based marinade for fish, but I enjoy when I find something new. Served with a side of curried french lentils and I was full for hours.

• 2 pieces of salmon
• 2 T. balsamic vinegar
• 1 T. thyme
• juice from 1/2 an orange
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2-3 T. olive oil
• salt/pepper
• several slices of oranges
• 1 bulb fennel, sliced

Heat the oven (or toaster oven, which is what I used) to 425 degrees. Mix together the marinade and place fish in the dish. I let this sit for about 1/2 hour before placing on a pan, topping with the fennel and oranges and pouring the rest of the marinade over the fish. Roast for about 15 minutes (shorter if the fish isn’t as thick), check to make sure it’s done and serve immediately.

Notes: The original recipe online called for lemons, but I didn’t have any. I also didn’t have balsamic vinegar so I used my cream of balsamic. It all worked out in the end!

Servings: This made 3 servings

Smoked Turkey Rueben March 2, 2010

Oh baby! I’m finally getting my appetite back now that I’m in my second trimester. My interest in cooking, let alone something new and untried, dropped dramatically during my first trimester. I stuck to things that I hoped my body would tolerate, safe food! But finally, I’m back in the kitchen, trying new things and throwing together recipes. This one was from The Kitchen Sink and I made it work even for my pregnancy restrictions (just heated the deli meat up first before putting it on my sandwich to grill).

• 2 cups thinly sliced green cabbage (about 4 oz.)
• 3/4 cup finely diced kosher dill pickle (from 1 large)
• 2 tsp. cider vinegar
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt (full or low-fat)
• 3 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 Tbs. canned or jarred tomato sauce (pure, pureed tomatoes)
• 8 slices whole wheat bread (I used rye bread)
• 12 thin slices smoked turkey
• 8 thin slices Swiss cheese
• 2 Tbs. unsalted butter, softened

In a medium bowl, toss the cabbage and pickles with the vinegar and 1/2 tsp. salt. Transfer to a colander, set it in the sink, and let sit for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, pulse the yogurt, sun-dried tomatoes, and tomato sauce in a food processor until the tomatoes are finely chopped. (I just diced everything up and mixed together since I didn’t want to dirty the food processor.)

Squeeze the cabbage mixture to remove any excess liquid and return to the bowl. Toss the cabbage with 2 Tbs. of the yogurt mixture.

Spread the remaining yogurt mixture on one side of each slice of the bread. Assemble the sandwiches, layering the turkey, cabbage, and cheese over 4 slices of the bread and topping with the other 4 slices. Spread the outsides of the sandwiches with the butter.

Heat a large grill pan, skillet, or stovetop griddle over medium-low heat. Working in batches if necessary, put the sandwiches in the pan, top with a grill press or heavy skillet to weigh them down, and cook until browned, 2 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until browned and the cheese is melted, 2 to 4 minutes more. Cut the sandwiches in half and serve.

Notes: A lovely and lighter version of the classic Rueben, which Chris and I both love.

Servings: As many as you want!

Cabbage Pie January 30, 2010

That’s right folks. Cabbage pie! I never thought this was something I would make, but when I found myself with two heads of cabbage and no desire for any stir fry (a cabbage standby for me), I pulled out Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything Vegetarian” cookbook and took a look at the back to find out what I could do with cabbage.

Enter: vegetable pie. Apparently there are lots of vegetable pies out there: Kale or chard pie, mushroom and kasha pie and many more. In the process, I was really doubtful of how the crust would work. It comes together as a batter which you kind of smear around the bottom of the pan and then just pour on top of the cabbage. But it worked! Like magic!

• 2 T. butter
• 1 medium head of savoy or white cabbage
• 1 medium onion – sliced
• salt/pepper
• 2/3 C. chopped fresh dill
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup whole-milk yogurt or sour cream
• 3 T. mayo (weird, but it made the crust work)
• 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1. Preaheat the oven to 375. Put the butter in a large skillet (nonstick) and heat to medium. A minute later, add the cabbage and onion. Sprinkle on salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until the leaves are quite tender, about 10 minutes. Do not brown. Remove from heat and add the dill. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

2. Meanwhile, hard-cook* 3 of the eggs, then shell and coarsely chop. Add the cooked cabbage mixture and let cool while you make the batter.

3. Combine the yogurt, mayo, and remaining eggs. Add the baking powder and flour and mix until smooth. Lightly butter a 9 x 12 inch ceramic baking dish. Spread half the batter over the bottom and up the sides. Top with the cabbage filling, smear the remaining batter over the cabbage. Make sure there are no gaps.

4. Bake for 45 minutes. It will be shiny and golden brown. Let the pie cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing.

* I learned how to hard boil eggs from 101cookbooks.com and it works perfectly. Fill your pot with cold water and put in your eggs. Make sure the water fully covers the eggs. Put on high heat and wait for the water to boil. Once fully boiling, turn the heat off and put a lid on the pan. Let the eggs cook for 7 minutes. Drain and run cold water over the eggs to stop the cooking. Lovely!

Notes: This is a hearty meal and perfect for the winter! The filling itself is a nice light flavor and could be eaten as a side.

Servings: 8 servings (one slice per serving)

Garlic Butter Roast Chicken November 22, 2009

Beautiful, isn’t it? My very first roasted chicken. While working at the Chopping Block, I’d seen them stuff gobs of butter under the skin of chicken before roasting it and having it come out with crispy skin and juicy meat. I’ve wanted to try it and finally got to Whole Foods to buy a free-range, organic chicken. I’ve read too much to purchase or eat a regular grocery store chicken! Anyway, we had friends over to enjoy this with us and I’m pleased to say we all really enjoyed it.

• 1 free range, organic roasting chicken
• 4 cloves garlic – minced or pressed
• 1/2 stick (yikes!) butter
• Olive oil
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 lemon
• 1/2 onion

Start by mixing the garlic with the butter, mash it up with a fork if you need to. Rinse the chicken under cold water and pat try. Gently peel back the skin of the chicken with your fingers (wash your hands first!). Take pieced of garlic butter and spread around under the skin, even for the drumsticks. Once it’s evenly spread around, lightly spray with oil on the outside. Salt and pepper well. Stuff the inside of the chicken with a cut lemon and onion.

Roast in the oven at 450 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until the temperature of the thigh meat reaches 155 degrees. Let sit for 10 minutes before carving. Enjoy!

Servings: 4 entree servings

Salmon Curry October 19, 2009

There were many good things about this meal. The grilled salmon, the curry sauce filled with healthy greens and vegetables, the quinoa that soaked up the sauce. The way my blood sugar sailed through this meal with peak of, oh, 140, landing nicely back around 80. I love when eating healthy matches so nicely with eating delicious foods!

• 2 salmon steaks (I had frozen Trader Joe’s salmon)
• 1 onion – sliced
• 1 red pepper – sliced
• 3 cloves garlic – diced
• 1 bunch mustard greens, cleaned and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1-3 T. curry paste
• 1/2 can baby corn
• 1 cup quinoa – cook as directed

Start out by sauteing the onions and red peppers in a bit of oil. I cooked mine a bit, starting to let the onion carmelize as well. Toss in the garlic, let cook for a minute or two and then pour in the coconut milk. Mix in as much curry paste as you want at this point. I used about 2 tablespoons and it wasn’t too hot for us. Mix in the corn and cleaned greens at this time. Season with salt and pepper. Heat and simmer.

While cooking the curried vegetables, grill two salmon steaks on a grill pan with a little salt/pepper/olive oil seasoning on each side. I left one salmon steak whole and broke the other one up into pieces and tossed it right into the curry. Serve the salmon curry over the quinoa and enjoy.

Servings: 2

Baked Eggs with Tomatoes, Onion, Garlic and Herbs October 15, 2009

While the top picture doesn’t really show it, this was a beautiful dish. Beautiful tomatoes and eggs baked and topped with melted Parmesan cheese. It felt like such an extraordinary breakfast! It was actually quite simple. Nice basic flavors, warm and perfect for the fall. Thank you to Kalyn’s Kitchen for the recipe.

• 1 T extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 1 tsp. finely minced garlic
• 1 can diced tomatoes (or 2 or 3 ripe tomatoes)
• 1 T dried basil
• 2 T freshly grated parmesan cheese (or more)

Heat olive oil in saute pan over medium heat, then add red onion and saute 2-3 minutes, until the onion is starting to get soft but not browned.

Add minced garlic, cook about 1 minute, then add tomatoes and basil. Simmer the tomato mixture until it thickens slightly, stirring a few times. This will take about 6-8 minutes.

While tomatoes cook, preheat oven to 400F.

When tomatoes are slightly thickened, remove about 1/3-1/2 of the tomatoes to a bowl. Spread the rest of tomatoes around the bottom of the casserole dish. Carefully break four eggs into the casserole dish. Spoon the rest of the tomato mixture carefully over and around the white part of the eggs, leaving the yolks showing. (It will not completely cover the whites.)

Put casserole into oven for about 5-7 minutes. (The egg white should be turning opaque but the yolk should still be runny when you add the parmesan cheese and broil.) When eggs are partly done, sprinkle on parmesan cheese and put dishes under the broiler for 1-2 minutes, until cheese melts and the top of eggs look like they’re barely starting to cook.

Serve hot, preferably with toast for dipping into egg.

Soba Noodles with Kale, Peppers and Peanuts September 27, 2009

I have tried several different peanut sauces with soba noodles in the past and they have all been terrible. Too much peanut butter, too heavy, yuck. I found this wonderful recipe and was so excited it didn’t have peanut butter involved! I mixed up the sauce, diced and prepared everything, tasted the sauce and… added a little bit of peanut butter. It just needed something, and one tablespoon of peanut butter did the trick. This is the best noodle dish I’ve made!

For the sauce (quantities approximate):

• 2 T reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1-1/2 T hoisin sauce
• 1 t. sriracha or other hot chili sauce (more or less, to taste)
• 1 t. agave nectar (or honey)
• 1 t. fresh lime juice
• 1 T. peanut butter

2 bundles (approximately 6 ounces) soba noodles, prepared according to package directions, rinsed under cold water and drained

1 bunch kale – cleaned and torn into 1-inch pieces
1 small orange bell pepper, cut into 1-inch lengths
1/2 cup peanuts, dry-roasted and unsalted, roughly chopped

In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients; adjust to taste with more agave or lime, and set aside (can be made days ahead of time, and stored in the refrigerator in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid).

Place the soba in a mixing bowl.

In a pot, steam the kale first. This should take just a few minutes. In a saute pan, heat some oil and toss in the sliced peppers, saute for a few minutes then add in the steamed kale. Add the vegetables to the soba. Pour in the sauce, and stir well to combine. Transfer to individual serving bowls, and top with chopped peanuts and cilantro if you have it on hand. Serve at room temperature or cold.

Cheese Souffle September 26, 2009

We got a souffle dish and I have been so excited to make a souffle! I’ve heard stories of falling souffles and how difficult they are, but I followed Alton Brown’s recipe exactly and it turned out perfectly! Fluffy cheese-y, egg-y goodness! We had Jarrod and Marti over to dinner to share this with us and we ate this dish clean. Perfect! Looking forward to trying it with spinach or different kinds of cheese.

• Butter, room temperature, for greasing the souffle
• 2 T. grated Parmesan
• 1 1/2 ounces (3 T.) butter
• 3 T. flour
• 1 t. dry mustard
• 1/2 t. garlic powder
• 1/8 t. kosher salt
• 1 1/3 cups milk, hot
• 4 large egg yolks (2 1/2 ounces by weight)
• 6 ounces sharp Cheddar
• 5 egg whites plus 1 tablespoon water (5 1/2 ounces by weight plus 1/2 ounce water)
• 1/2 t. cream of tartar

Use room temperature butter to grease an 8-inch souffle mold. Add the grated Parmesan and roll around the mold to cover the sides. Cover with plastic wrap and place into the freezer for 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a small saucepan, heat the butter. Allow all of the water to cook out.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, dry mustard, garlic powder, and kosher salt. Whisk this mixture into the melted butter. Cook for 2 minutes.

Whisk in the hot milk and turn the heat to high. Once the mixture reaches a boil, remove from the heat.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks to a creamy consistency. Temper the yolks into the milk mixture, constantly whisking. Remove from the heat and add the cheese. Whisk until incorporated.

In a separate bowl, using a hand mixer, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar until glossy and firm. Add 1/4 of the mixture to the base. Continue to add the whites by thirds, folding very gently.

Pour the mixture into the souffle. Fill the souffle to 1/2-inch from the top. Place on an aluminum pie pan. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes.

Servings: 4 servings

Blueberry French Toast August 11, 2009

This is the perfect brunch entree! I can make it the night before, toss it in the fridge and just bake for 30-40 minutes the next morning. The blue berries are perfectly in season and fresh from Michigan. Add a little mascarpone cheese to the mix and it’s filling, decadent and perfect for guests.

• 1 large loaf of Italian bread (better if it’s a couple days old, more stale and soaks up the eggs better)
• 14 large eggs
• 1/2  or so milk
• splash of vanilla and pinch of cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• pint of blueberries
• 1/2 container of mascarpone cheese

Butter a rectangle baking dish first. Slice the bread into medium thick slices (you need enough for one layer on the bottom of the pan and another for the top). In a large bowl, mix all the eggs with the milk and seasonings.

Layer the bread onto the bottom of the pan. Spread a layer of mascarpone cheese onto the bread and toss the blueberries on top. For the next layer of bread, spread a little bit more mascaropne cheese onto the bottom sides first. Finally, pour the egg mixture slowly and evenly over the bread, trying to cover all the bread. Use a fork or spatula to smoosh the bread down a little bit. Cover and put into the fridge over night to bake in the morning! Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Notes: This is decadent! Server with a little syrup on top.

Servings: 6 + big brunch servings

Grilled Flank Steak August 5, 2009

My parents came to visit a couple weekends ago and we thought it would be nice to grill out and enjoy our little backyard. But of course, it ended up being chilly and rained, so we stayed inside and I cooked this flank steak on my grill pan and a cast iron pan instead. I’ve never cooked flank steak before, but I’d seen it done many times at the Chopping Block when I worked there. Let me tell you, this is a recipe I will definitely make again, especially for company as it’s certain to please (as long as everyone enjoys meat). This is the recipe I used. I followed very closely!

Marinade Ingredients

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Other ingredients

• 2 pounds flank steak
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper

1. Combine the marinade ingredients. Place steak and marinade ingredients in a large freezer bag. Coat the steak well with the marinade. Seal the bag and place in a bowl. Chill and marinate for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.

2 Using olive oil soaked onto a paper towel, coat the grill rack of your grill with olive oil. Preheat the grill with high, direct heat. The grill is hot enough when you hold your hand about an inch over it and you can only hold it there for about a second.

3 Take the steak out of the marinade bag and sprinkle generously on all sides with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. The salt and pepper will help form a savory crust on the steak. Place steak on the hot grill. If you are using a gas grill, cover the grill. Grill for 4-6 minutes on each side. Half way through grilling on each side, turn the steak 90° so that you get more grill marks. (This can all be done on a grill pan or cast iron skillet indoors too!)

4 Flank steak is best eaten medium rare; well done will make it too tough. When the steak has cooked to your preferred level of doneness, remove from the grill and place on a cutting board. Cover with aluminum foil to hold in the heat and to keep the steak from drying out, and let rest for 10 minutes.

5 Make very thin slices, against the grain, and at a slight diagonal so that the slices are wide.

If you want, you can take the excess marinade and bring it to a boil, simmer for several minutes, and serve with the flank steak.

Notes: We enjoyed the steak on quinoa with arugula and halved cherry tomatoes mixed in, pour a little of that heated up marinade on top and BAM. Yum. Also had some roasted (would have been grilled!) sliced portobello mushrooms tossed with oil and balsamic.

Servings: 6 servings