Warm Lentil and Potato Salad

Warm Lentil and Potato Salad

 

I found this recipe in this month's Southern Living and decided to try it for our Oktoberfest-themed wine club last night.

 

I found a very similar recipe online from the Alsace-Lorraine region of France, near Germany.  The lentils were a great addition to a traditional warm German potato salad.  David and I really liked this dish, and I'm sure the boys will too.

 

I assumed this dish would take longer than it actually did.  I think you could cook and make up the entire dish in less than 30 minutes.

 

Cook 1/2 c of French green lentils in salted water for 20 minutes, then drain.

Clean red potatoes and halve or quarter them, cooking them in salted water for 15 minutes.  Drain.

 

Combine the potatoes and lentils in a serving dish.

 

 

 

While the potatoes and lentils are cooking, cook the remaining ingredients in a small skillet.

 

 

 

Cook bacon and crumble it, leaving the oil in the skillet.

Add sliced celery, chopped garlic, and finely chopped shallots and cook for 3 minutes.

Stir in red wine vinegar and Dijon mustard and season with salt and pepper to taste.

 

 

Gently stir potatoes, lentils, and dressing and top with chopped fresh parsley just before serving warm.

 

 

Really great German potato salad!

 

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Guten Appetit!

 

Reuben Dip

Reuben Dip

 

We attended an Oktoberfest party last night and I wanted to take a couple of good German dishes.

My friend Kathja shared this recipe for me. 

 

It ended up being great!  I returned with an empty dish.

 

Best part - this is an entirely microwaveable recipe.

Only 5 minutes or so of overall cooking time.

 

 

Kathja is from Austria and said (in her dry German way) that this is a very typical Oktoberfest style dish.  That can be served any month at all!  She loves our obsession with all things Oktoberfest this time of year.

 

She said that she normally uses dried beef for this dish, but if you had leftover corned beef, this is a great way to use up those leftovers.

 

She let me know that men especially love this appetizer for its salty, heartiness.

I found that the ladies liked it too :)

 

I used Armour dried beef.  It's really salty, but the crackers help cut the salty taste.

Really, it was delicious!

 

 

You start by melting a little butter in a microwaveable dish for 30 seconds.

 

Then you add in shredded Muenster cheese (I used Havarti because Kroger didn't carry Muenster), cubed cream cheese, ketchup, Dijon mustard and black pepper.

 

Microwave it again for 1 minute.  Stir it and if it needs another minute, go for it.

 

Don't worry - this isn't the serving dish so don't worry about the messy look.

 

Then stir in the chopped dried beef.

At this point I covered the dish and put it in the refrigerator until we were about ready to leave.

It's not necessary though.

 

When you're ready to serve your dish, place a cup of rinsed and drained sauerkraut in the bottom of your serving dish, top with the beef mixture and stir up just slightly.

 

Microwave for 3 minutes and serve with crackers or small slices of rye bread.

Delicious and decadent!

 

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Guten Appetit!



Tilapia with Mango Salsa

Tilapia with Mango Salsa

 

Every Wednesday the boys and I have about 30 minutes to "kill" between school pick up time and when I need to drop Thomas off at a different school for a club he's in. 

 

We use this time to go Krogering.

 

 

 

The boys like to grocery shop, especially when they take off like a scavenger hunt getting items we need, and when they get to pick out a snack.  And their favorite cereals.  And snacks for home.

 

Brennan has also found the free samples at the fish counter.  I had NO IDEA they gave out free samples at the fish counter, but Brennan's met all the "fishermen" and he checks out their offerings each week.

 

He also found the seafood/fish recipe kiosk at Kroger, and regularly brings me a new recipe card to try out.  This past week's was Tilapia with Mango Salsa.

 

Tip #1 - get the ripest mango you can find.

 

There apparently aren't any ripe mangoes in Southern Indiana right now, and I was making the dish that night, so we had tart mango.  Ripe would have been much nicer.

 

The fish dish is easy to make. 

Season your fillets with lime juice, chopped garlic and black pepper, and cook for 12 minutes at 350* until flaky.
 

While the fish is cooking, mix up your salsa - chopped mango, chopped fresh cilantro, diced red onion, lime juice, and hot sauce. 

 

 

Spoon over the cooked fish and serve.

 

 

Except for the tartness of the unripe mango - a hit at our house!

 

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 Enjoy!

Berry Crisp with Maple-Pecan Topping

Berry Crisp with Maple-Pecan Topping

Last weekend we were invited to a neighborhood gathering at our neighbor's gorgeous horse stables behind the ravine.  The theme was "Welcome to Fall".  We had hot apple cider and everyone brought a fall treat.  We played games, fed the horses carrots, and caught up with our neighbors. 
A fun afternoon!

Brennan and I decided to make this yummy sounding cobbler from this month's Vegetarian Times. 
The original recipe is a Blackberry Cobbler, but Brennan is not a huge blackberry fan because the seeds get stuck in his teeth.  I hear ya.

So we decided to do a mixed berry cobbler.  We used (thawed) frozen berries we had on-hand, but you could also use fresh berries.

What I love about this cobbler recipe is that it isn't overly sweet - it's really tart, with a hint of sweetness.  It was perfect!

We started by whisking together maple syrup and Balsamic vinegar, then tossing the mixture with our berries.

Then we tossed the berries again with a little sugar, flour and salt and poured it in our sprayed baking dish.

Next we made a topping with flour, maple syrup, rolled oats, chopped pecans, brown sugar and a little oil.  We crumbled it with our fingers and then arranged it over the berries.

We baked the cobbler for 35 minutes at 350* until the berries were bubbling and the cobbler topping was light brown.

We took it piping hot to the barn and shared it with our neighbors!

Delicious!

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Enjoy!

Watermelon Salad with Jalapeño and Lime

Watermelon Salad with Jalapeño and Lime

 

I saw this salad in the Vegetarian Times Farmer's Market Cookbook and I've been meaning to try it all summer.

We love sweet watermelon and I almost always have some cut up in the fridge that we eat at most meals.

 

This recipe can be made ahead of time or right before serving.

 

You whisk together lime juice, lime zest, and olive oil and pour it over 3 cups of cubed watermelon.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

 

When you're ready to serve, place some jalapeño rings in each serving dish and mound watermelon on top.

The original recipe calls for garnishing with sea salt, black sesame seeds, and thinly sliced basil.

We served ours without the garnish, but I think the black seeds and basil would make it extra pretty.

 

It's a zesty, only hint of hot at the very end, version of plain watermelon.

I like it, but don't think the oil was necessary at all.

I think watermelon by itself, or with a little lime and lime zest, works just fine!

 



 

Double click to print as a 5x7 recipe card.

 

Enjoy!