Tomato Salad

Tomato Salad

The farmer's market had some great looking tomatoes on Saturday, so I picked up some to take to the lake.  They disappeared!  David said they may have been his favorite food that he ate at the dinner!

I made a vinaigrette by whisking together olive oil, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, and fresh basil. I added a little sea salt and pepper.

 

I cut red, orange, and yellow tomatoes into 8 wedges in and tossed with the vinaigrette.

I let it chill until we were ready to eat.



 

Once we were ready to eat, I tossed the tomatoes again, drained off the excess vinaigrette, and added some more fresh basil and parsley.

 

Then I topped it off with feta cheese crumbles, and we served it with dinner.

 

(no need to drain the excess vinaigrette if not adding feta)

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Enjoy!

 

Simple Sauteed Vegetables

Simple Sauteed Vegetables


This recipe is long overdue for my sweet friend Emily who is learning to cook and is wanting to introduce more vegetables into her family meals.  She had sauteed squash at a meeting luncheon we attended in April and thought it was amazing.  I assured her it was simple, simple, and I would provide more specific instructions.  Here's what I do (this time with Brennan's help).

These are the beautiful vegetables that Mary brought to Brennan and me last week (along with fun family movies!).  We sliced everything up kind of thick - organic squash, zucchini, kohlrabi (my first time!), and peppers. 


You can either spray the hot saute pan with olive oil spray or pour a little olive oil into the pan with the vegetables.  Spread them out and cook them on each side about 5 minutes.

We sprinkle them with garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper for a little flavor.

The red potatoes I did separately because the other vegetables had already started and I knew these would take a few minutes longer, being thicker.  We sauteed them with fresh rosemary from Mary's garden.  

 

Then we tossed all the vegetables together, added a little fresh parsley and a touch more sea salt and served.  We also microwave the leftovers the next day.

 

 

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Enjoy!

Lentil Salad

Lentil Salad

I found this recipe in the April/May 2013 Vegetarian Times.  I thought it sounded like a great dish to make ahead of time and take to the lake this weekend.  It was really great - I will make this again and again!

I started by cooking a bag of lentils in broth.  They only take about 15 minutes.  I drained them and scooped out 4 cups worth, keeping the rest for another use.

While the lentils were cooking I asked Brennan to make up the vinaigrette of Dijon mustard, white wine vinegar (you could also use red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar), olive oil, Kosher salt, and pepper.

This recipe calls for 2 cups of chopped vegetables like carrots, fennel, celery, or radishes.  I went with carrots and radishes, dicing them somewhat.

Add the lentils, vegetables, diced cucumber, fresh parsley, and season with Kosher salt and pepper.  Refrigerate for up to a day and top with more fresh parsley before serving at room temperature.

 

It was a great accompaniment for the brats, sweet corn, fruit salad, tomato salad, chips, and Gouda and apple appetizer that Brennan made for us! 

 

 

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Enjoy!

Massaged Kale Salad

Massaged Kale Salad

 

I read a review of a restaurant's Massaged Kale Salad online and wondered what in the world this is.  I had never heard of a "massaged salad" so Googled it.  I read several recipes on various websites, combined them all and made my own this week.

 

The various online recipes called for different versions of kale like dinosaur kale and black kale.  I used Kroger Kale - what was available to me without much research! 

 

I understand from Mary that Russian Kale is delicious fresh.  I don't normally think of kale as something I would eat raw.

 

But a massaged kale salad is raw, and is very tasty.

This will be a staple recipe in my house.

 

You start by washing and trimming the stems off of a large bunch of kale.  Then cut the kale into 2 inch pieces (bite-sized pieces).

 

Place them in a large bowl and sprinkle on Kosher salt and the juice of an entire lemon.

 

 

 

Then massage the kale with your hands vigorously for 3 minutes.

The salt and lemon juice will start to wilt the kale.

 

Then add in olive oil and massage for another 2 minutes.

(I think this is a great job for a junior chef who might be hanging around the kitchen wanting to help mom).

 

Then toss in fruit and raw seeds or nuts.

Diced apple and mango were the most recommended fruits.

Raw sunflower seeds and pepitas were recommended as well.

 

I went with apple and pepitas for this salad.

After the photo I decided to mix in the apple so that it wouldn't turn brown on me.  I wanted to save the leftovers in the fridge because it will apparently keep for several days.

The kale is very lemony, but I like it a lot.  A chunk of apple with a piece of kale cuts the lemon flavor down.  I think this is a great way to serve this super nutritious veggie!

 



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Enjoy!

 

 

Delish Summer Salad

Delish Summer Salad

 

This salad comes from my friend, and chef and wellness coach Sandy Thomas.  She shared this recipe with us in a cooking class I took with her last year.  I took this salad to a party for the 4th of July, and made it again for the family last night. 

 

It's really delicious!

 

Cook frozen edamame according to package directions.  I used frozen sweet corn, so I cooked that as well.  Grilled fresh sweet corn would be great!

 

Then I rinsed a can of black beans and a can of cannelini beans and drained them well.  I tossed together the corn, edamame, black, and cannelini beans with grape tomatoes.

 

I mixed up the quick vinaigrette of olive oil, rice vinegar, sherry vinegar, and Dijon mustard.  Once it was emulsified, I tossed it with the vegetables.  Before serving I added ribbons of sliced fresh basil and seasoned with sea salt and pepper.

 

Of course, I made a tomato-less version for my no-tomato eaters. 

 David let them know that our version was not only prettier, but tastier.  They still declined the tomato version :)

 

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Enjoy!

No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

 

I have been making these cookies for years.  I don't remember where I got the recipe, but I'm pretty sure it was a church cookbook.  Maybe my grandmother's church?  I have several so I could go back and look through them, but I vaguely remember finding this recipe years ago as I was reading through a newly gifted cookbook.

 

These are very simple and kids can make them, with a little supervision.

 

I made them for kids this time around when I attended a couple of parties over the 4th of July weekend where there would be plenty of kids to enjoy them.

 

And I made them while watching Bridget Jones's Diary.

 

 

 

I paused to get started on my cookies after Bridget had her heart broken by Daniel Cleaver, and was headed to the dinner party with lots of smug married couples.  You know, where at the end Mark Darcy tells her he likes her. 

Just as she is.

 

 

You bring sugar, milk, cocoa, and butter to a boil, letting it boil for 1 1/2 minutes.  Then you remove it from the heat and immediately stir in peanut butter and oatmeal.

 

 

And then it needs to seriously cool.  But not too long or it is difficult to shape them into cookies without them crumbling.  I would say 20 minutes.

 

Or, in my case, until the end of the fight between Daniel and Mark after Bridget's birthday dinner (with the blue soup). 

 

Then form the cookies (I usually end up making more like balls than cookies - but any shape works), and let them sit on wax paper to cool completely so they won't crumble apart.

 

Serve, and store any leftovers (ha) in an airtight container.

 

 

Tom:  Well done Bridge, four hours of careful cooking and a feast of blue soup, omelette and marmalade. I think that deserves a toast, don't you? To Bridget, who cannot cook, but who we love

just as she is.

 

 

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Enjoy!

 

 

Easy Mushroom Rice Pilaf

Easy Mushroom Rice Pilaf

 

On the back of the Lundgren's short grain brown rice package, Brennan found a recipe for easy mushroom rice pilaf.  He cut it off the package and I tucked in away in my thick file of recipes-to-try.

 

When Thomas was gone last week to camp, it was a great time.  Thomas does not like mushrooms, so he wouldn't miss out.

 

Brennan and I picked out a box of fresh shiitakes to try with this recipe.  I've read that button mushrooms don't have the same nutritional properties that other mushrooms have, plus shiitakes are "meatier", and I like them the best.  You could use any mushrooms here.

 

So, my first attempt at this dish didn't work great.  The directions stated to put all the ingredients in a pot, bring to a boil, then simmer covered for 50 minutes.  I think the mushrooms soaked up too much of the broth.  I kept adding more, and adding more, but it took much longer than 50 minutes.  The dish was still good, but let me share with you what I did to make it much faster the second time I made it.

 

I soaked the rice in a bowl, covered with a dishcloth, for 6 hours.  You could also do this overnight.  Then I drained the rice and followed the directions - much, much better.  The rice cooked well and I didn't have to add any extra broth.  It was delicious.

And with only a few ingredients that I usually have on hand - mushrooms, brown rice, fresh parsley, broth, garlic, olive oil, pepper - it is definitely an Easy recipe.

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Enjoy!

 

 

Sauteed Mustard Greens

Sauteed Mustard Greens

 

This recipe comes straight from Anne Burrell at foodnetwork.com.  I was looking for a healthy, simple way to cook greens like mustard, collard, and turnip and found this one that I liked a lot.

 

Start by washing the mustard greens and remove the hard stems.  Cut them into 2 inch pieces.  You don't have to dry them thoroughly.

 

 

 

Heat olive oil (a Tbsp or so) in a large pan with halved garlic and red pepper flakes.  Allow the garlic to brown slightly and get really fragrant.  Discard the garlic.

 

 

Add the greens and cover, cooking until they are wilted.

Stir in the red wine vinegar, and season with Kosher salt.

 

Serve hot.
 

I didn't have red wine vinegar so I used Balsamic and it was too vinegar-y.  The second time I used red wine vinegar and it was much, much better.

 

I'm going to try this dish again with other greens.  But it certainly worked well with mustard greens!

 

 

 

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Enjoy!

 

Mock Chocolate Truffles

Mock Chocolate Truffles

 

This recipe is courtesy of wellness coach, and my friend, Sandy Thomas.  We made these mock truffles in a cooking class I took with Sandy and friends last year.  They were delicious, and I made them with Brennan today.

 

Excuse the state of the kitchen, we're having interior painting done this week!

 

While Brennan really prefers creating his own recipes, he is also good at following a recipe, so I put him to work today in the kitchen.

 

We started by chopping pecans in the food processor.

 

Then we added pitted dates, maple syrup, vanilla extract, cocoa powder, and one tablespoon of water, per the directions.  This gave us a rough texture, so we added another tablespoon of water or two until we go the right texture - rather smooth.

 

Then we rolled the truffles, and rolled half through cocoa powder, and half through shredded coconut.

 

 

 

I chilled them in the fridge until after dinner, but we didn't make it that long.

 

 

 

This recipe made about 3 dozen.  I loved the coconut.  David and Brennan (my dark chocolate lovers) really liked the cocoa powder ones.

 

 

 

I am understating how much they loved this dessert.

 

They absolutely loved these.  In fact, they completely disappeared.  Before dinner!

 

David thought they made a great special treat to take to a dinner.  Brennan wants to make more to take to his grandmother's house this weekend.  And he wants to make them for Thomas.

 

If you have any leftover, store them in an air tight container in the fridge.

 

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Enjoy!

 

Pickled Vegetable Sandwich Slaw

Pickled Vegetable Sandwich Slaw

 

This recipe was featured on Smitten Kitchen this week, and I realized I had all the ingredients so decided to try it right away instead of putting it in my well-meaning, ever-growing folder full of great sounding recipes that I really want to try.

 

Pickled vegetables have all sorts of nutritional properties, and they are really versatile.  I decided to pick up some containers and try it out.

 

This is a refrigerator pickling method - not the heated canning method, so any glass jar with tight lid will work.  You'll see I've started with plastic containers until I find the right sized glass ones that I'm looking for.

 

Deb from Smitten Kitchen suggests any firm, crunchy vegetable, but Deb's tip - she wouldn't use red radishes again because they turn everything pink. 

 

Suggested Vegetables for Pickled Vegetable Sandwich Slaw:

Radishes

Red, Orange, Yellow Bell Peppers

Carrots

Fresh Sugar Snap Peas

Kirby Cucumbers

Cabbage

 

But the list is really chef-preference.

 

 

Suggested Uses for Pickled Vegetable Sandwich Slaw:

On Sandwiches

Alongside Grilled Anything

As a Side Dish

On Top of Salad

On Top of Rice or other Whole Grain

 

 

I started with a mandolin but mine was not working well, so I just julienned the vegetables with a good knife instead.  Then I split them up into my 3 containers.

Next I brought distilled white vinegar, sugar, Kosher salt, and yellow mustard seeds to a simmer until the sugar and salt dissolved.  Then I added cold water and let the mixture cool to lukewarm.

Poured the pickling mixture over my vegetables, made sure they were all covered, and refrigerated them for 24 hours.  They can be eaten within 1 hour though.  They last up to a month in the fridge.

 

So far I've just eaten them by themselves, or with lunch.  But I think they'd be great on a pulled-pork sandwich - julienned even thinner.

 

Very tasty - slightly addictive!

 

 

 A big thank you to Deb at Smitten Kitchen for the recipe!!

 

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Enjoy!

 

 

Texas Caviar Rice and Beans

Texas Caviar Rice and Beans

 

This recipe comes straight from the July 2013 Southern Living, and is a really good recipe for a Meatless Monday, or if you want leftovers for a couple of lunches.  David really liked this dish, which always helps :)

 

My very quick iPhone photos don't do the beauty of this dish justice, but here they are.

 

 

Start by mixing up a Texas Vinaigrette of olive oil, fresh lime juice, chopped fresh cilantro, hot sauce of your choice, minced garlic, chili powder, cumin, Kosher salt, and black pepper. 

 

Then drain and rinse a can each of black-eyed peas and black beans.  Place in a bowl (or a saucepan like I did) and add 1/3 c finely chopped roasted red bell peppers, and 1/4 c finely chopped poblano pepper (I skipped this).  Add half of the vinaigrette and let sit for awhile (20 minutes or so).

 

 

 

Make up Basmati rice.  I had brown Basmati so I followed the direction, but any rice would work well in this dish.

 

Heat the beans on the stovetop (the recipe suggests doing it in the bowl in the microwave - either way), then serve.

 

 

 

Options for serving with this rice and bean caviar:

Chopped Romaine

Warmed Tortillas

Shredded Cheese

Tortilla Chips

Remaining Vinaigrette

Halved Grape Tomatoes

Chopped Cilantro

Thinly Sliced Celery

Thinly Sliced Green Onions

Salsa

Pickled  Jalapeño  Peppers

Guacamole

Sour Cream

Lime Wedges

 

 

 

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Enjoy!

 

 

Homemade Lemonade

Homemade Lemonade

 

I like to have a pitcher of fresh lemonade in the fridge for the boys, or myself, or for when friends stop by to sit by the pool and catch up.  A pitcher of lemonade and some fresh strawberries makes the perfect snack!

 

I use fresh lemons and juice them on a citrus juicer.  Then add sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves, before adding water and chilling the lemonade. 

 

5 lemons makes about 1.5 cups of lemon juice.  I add 2/3 c sugar. 

 

Some recipes call for equal parts lemon juice and sugar, but there is no way I'm adding 1.5 cups of sugar to a pitcher of lemonade. 

 

2/3 c is the right tartness/sweetness ratio for my family.

 

 

 

A fun thing to do is fill the juiced lemon halves with sherbet (I used pineapple sherbet below) and freeze for game night with the kids, or a pool treat.

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Enjoy!