Grits and Greens Casserole

If you know my husband, you know his personality is sort of hard to pinpoint. Though he was born and raised in the South in a beach town, he doesn't fit many of the stereotypes. No truck, no hunting, no country music, doesn't like the beach, has pasty white skin, and hasn't owned a pair of swimming board shorts until I got them this past spring. However, there are two stereotypes that he does fit - he is extremely polite, calling people ma'am and sir, and he loves Southern comfort food. The boy could eat pulled pork barbecue until he's sick. Corn casserole, mac and cheese, southern style green beans... he's all over it. 

When I saw this recipe in Eating Well magazine, I felt like it was representative of our marriage and combined personal tastes. Grits and greens screamed southern comfort food for JJ, and kale and polenta screamed healthy, easy weeknight casserole for me. 

He loved this casserole, just as I had hoped. And to be truthful, I'm glad he doesn't fit all of the southern boy stereotypes, but if only I could find a way to get him to go to the beach with me...

Grits and Greens Casserole

adapted from Eating Well March/April

6 slices center cut apple wood smoked bacon, diced

1 yellow onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 cups vegetable stock

2 lbs. kale, stemmed and roughly chopped

1 cup stone ground yellow grits

1 tsp. ground white pepper

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

2 tbsp. tomato paste

1 egg white

Preheat oven to 400*

Spray a casserole dish with nonstick spray.

Heat a deep sauté' pan over medium, add bacon, stir and cook.

When bacon is crisp, remove with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel lined plate.

Pour fat out of pan, place back on the head and add onions and garlic.

Sauté' for 5 minutes, until caramelized. 

Add 1 cup of stock and kale, toss, turn heat to low, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes, until tender.

Bring remaining 3 cups of vegetable stock to a boil in a pot.

Pour in grits, whisk constantly, bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low, stirring often.

Cook for 5-8 minutes, until thickened, remove from heat.

Stir in egg white, tomato paste and cheese, mix well. 

Spread half the grits in the bottom of the casserole dish, top with the kale, then another layer of grits. 

Sprinkle with bacon and place in the oven.

Cook for 15-20 minutes, until hot and bubbling.

Rest casserole for 5 minutes before serving.

Symon Sundays: Lola Burgers with Spicy Ketchup, Fried Brussels Sprouts with Walnuts

This week's Symon Sundays recipes were chosen by Gia of A Life in Progress. Check her blog in the next few days for the recipes, or check out Joanne or Natashya's blogs as they have both and posted the recipes and have wonderful descriptions and adaptations!

First up was the Lola Burger with Spicy Ketchup. This recipe actually had a few components. First was the pickled onions, then the spicy ketchup, and finally the actual burger. Chef Symon suggests serving it on a toasted English Muffin, but I made sliders and used multigrain bread.

I absolutely loved the picked onions on the burger. I think that was probably my favorite part. They were tangy, a little spicy, and sweet. The spicy ketchup was JJ's favorite part, he usually mixes his ketchup with hot sauce, but this took it to another flavor level. The burgers themselves were just simply seasoned with salt and pepper, so it didn't overshadow the delicious accompniaments. These burgers were decadent, and absolutely delicious!

For the Fried Brussels Sprouts, Chef Symon offers an alternative to the walnut/anchovy/capers combination, and takes on an Asian flavor profile. I decided to make this alternative, which included fresh grated ginger root. Though these were tasty, I'm not a big fan of fried food, and could only eat a few bites. However, I think if I let the Brussels go a bit longer, I would have enjoyed them more because I liked the crispy bits. I was a little worried about burning them!

Natashya's beatiful burger and sprouts!

Joanne's big bite of her burger and sprouts!

Sauteed Spinach with Bacon-Pomegranate Jus

This simple side dish is packed with so much flavor. In an effort to minimalize the bacon's unhealthy qualities, I paired it with fresh baby spinach and pomegranate juice, full of antioxidants and healthy vitamins and minerals. At our dinner party, I used the jus as a gravy and topped my chicken and risotto as well as the spinach (those recipes will be up next!) Special thanks to POM Wonderful for sending me the juice to try out and cook with. I also should add that for 6 people, I used a ridiculous amount of fresh spinach, which wilts down to barely anything.

 

Sauteed Spinach with Bacon-Pomegranate Jus

12 cups fresh baby spinach leaves (I buy the large organic containers from Sams Club)

6 strips of bacon, diced

2 tbsp. reserved bacon fat

1 small yellow onion, grated

1 garlic clove, grated

2 tbsp. flour

1 cup pomegranate juice

2 cups chicken or 1 cup chicken and 1 cup beef stock

Salt and pepper

Pinch of fresh thyme

Add bacon to a skillet, cook over medium heat until crisp, remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.

Drain fat except for 2 tbsp.

Grate in onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper, saute' until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.

Add flour, whisk to cook about 1 minute.

Add pomegranate juice and stock, whisk and bring to a simmer.

While jus simmers, add spinach and a splash of water to a large pot, cover and heat over medium.

Toss with tongs until just wilted, use tongs to remove from the pot and squeeze out excess water.

When jus is thick, pour into a gravy boat and sprinkle with crisped bacon (or top spinach with bacon).

Mini Quiche Lorainne

The other appetizer I served at our dinner party Saturday was one of my favorites, Mini Quiche Lorainne. This dish is so simple to make, but I've never met anyone who doesn't love it! I tend to make big batches of savory and sweet pie crust and keep it frozen, so I just pulled out a disk to make these. Since there are so few ingredients, I used Gruyere cheese, which really stood out and held it's own over the strong bacon flavor.

Mini Quiche Lorainne

1 pie crust (recipe below or store-bought)

4 large eggs

6 strips of bacon

1 1/2 cups finely grated Gruyere

1/2 tsp. dried French Thyme (I love Penzeys)

Salt and Pepper

2 tbsp. milk or cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Dice bacon, saute' in a skillet until crisp, drain on a paper towel.

Butter and flour a mini muffin tin (24).

Roll out pie crust, use a round cutter to cut 24 rounds.

Place on the muffin tin, gently press down and form into cups.

In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt and pepper and thyme.

Add cheese and bacon, stir together. This mixture should be thick.

Use a tablespoon to spoon mixture into muffin cups, fill to the top.

Bake for 18 minutes, or until puffy and golden.

Use an offset spatula to remove from muffin cups, serve.

Makes 2-12" pie crusts:

3 1/2 cups AP flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. sugar
2 sticks of butter, frozen
2 tbsp. shortening
1/2 cup ice water

Add flour, salt and sugar to a large bowl. Whisk with a fork.

Cut butter and shortening into flour in pea sized pieces.

Add water and use a fork to mix until dough just comes together in a ball.

Wrap in plastic wrap, refrigerate for an hour (or overnight) or freeze wrapped tightly in plastic then placed in a freezer storage bag.

World's Greatest BLT

For dinner last night, I decided to make something simple and fast. It's not so much a recipe, just sandwich elements that are delicious when put together! I used Morningstar Farm Vegetarian Bacon, which is actually pretty good.
For the side, I made Kale chips. I saw them first on Kath Eats Real Food, and thought they sounded interesting. I kind of mounded them too much because the edge ones got very crisp but the center ones and bottom just kind of steamed. Overall it was an easy, fun, and delicious dinner!

World's Greatest BLT

4 slices of whole grain sandwich bread

2 oz. herbed goat cheese at room temp.

1/2 avocado, sliced

1 tomato, sliced

4 lettuce leaves

6 slices of bacon, crisped

Toast the bread, smear with goat cheese, top with avocado, tomato, lettuce and bacon.

Kale Chips

4 c. kale, chopped

1 tsp. Emeril's Essence seasoning

1 tbsp. EVOO

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Toss kale in oil and spices on a baking sheet.

Roast for 10 minutes.

Serve with hot sauce and ketchup.

Mini Bacon and Cheddar Quiche

As a second appetizer for the New Years party we went to, JJ requested mini quiche, one of his favorites. So I looked through the fridge to see what we had and all I found was cheddar and bacon. JJ was thrilled! Usually I try for cheese and a veggie or meat, a little healthier, but oh well!
Very simple, very tasty, and very good for breakfast.

Cheddar and Bacon Mini Quiche

Makes 24

1 recipe of savory pie crust

5 eggs, beaten

1/4 c. milk or cream

1 tsp. hot sauce

2/3 c. finely shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 tbsp. minced parsley or chives

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Roll out dough, cut with a biscuit cutter. Place disks into a mini muffin pan sprayed with nonstick spray.

Beat eggs and cream in a bowl, Add in hot sauce, cheese, bacon, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Use a teaspoon and spoon some mixture into each cavity.

Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown and puffy. Serve with more parsley or snipped chives.

Mini Chicken Bacon Quesadillas with Pineapple Salsa

Another appetizer for the party was chicken-bacon quesadillas with pineapple salsa. I love quesadillas, and JJ's favorite is chicken, bacon and cheese, so I went with those. They are super simple to make! The salsa is also delicious, the acidity of the pineapple really cuts through the salt and fat of the bacon. They were the first appetizer to go!

Mini Chicken and Bacon Quesadillas

with Pineapple Salsa

Quesadillas:

1 package of large tortillas (8 count)

2 large chicken breasts (about 1 lb.)

4 c. chicken stock

6 slices center cut bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded

1 c. prepared taco/picante sauce

Salsa:

1 c. minced pineapple (fresh!)

1/4 large red onion, minced

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

2 tbsp. cilantro, minced

Juice of 1 lime

Salt and pepper

Toss all salsa ingredients together in a bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Bring chicken stock to a simmer in a small stock pot. Add chicken and poach for 15 minutes, or until cooked through.

Cool and shred chicken. Mix with bacon, cheese and taco sauce.

Using a biscuit cutter, cut out small rounds from the tortillas.

Place tortillas in a non-stick skillet, top with 1 tbsp. of chicken mixture, top with another round. Place a smaller heat proof plate or pan on top and top with a heavy object to press tortillas.

Cook for 4-5 minutes per side over medium heat.

Serve with salsa.

Stuffed Eggplant

When I saw this recipe from my Martinique cookbook, I fell in love. Not only was it eggplant, but it had gruyere cheese, spicy peppers, and lots of herbs. I also knew JJ would love it because of the bacon!
My dad had given me a few baby eggplants that were in his final harvest of the year, and I thought they would be perfect for this recipe. Overall it was a bit salty for me, but still very delicious!

Lolo's Stuffed Eggplant

3 eggplants, cleaned and halved lengthwise

6 tbsp. salt

2 slices bread

1/2 c. milk

2 tbsp. oil

4 tbsp. chopped chives

1/2 c. thinly sliced bacon

1 clove garlic, smashed

3 tbsp. chopped parsley

1 tbsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. chopped red Scotch Bonnet pepper

6 tbsp. breadcrumbs

6 tbsp. grated Gruyere

3 tbsp. butter

With a sharp knife, notch the eggplant's flesh. Salt the eggplants in a colander for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Soak the bread in milk.

In a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium and add the eggplant face down. Cook for 15 minutes until the flesh becomes tender.

With a spoon, carefully remove the eggplant's flesh without damaging the skin. In a large bowl, mix the flesh with the chives, bacon, garlic, parsley, pepper, scotch bonnet pepper, and drained bread.

Fill each eggplant skin with the stuffing and top with 1 tbsp. bread crumbs, 1 tbsp. grated cheese, and 1/2 tsp. butter. Bake for 20 minutes.

Leftovers Breakfast for Dinner - Apple Pancakes, Spinach and Goat Cheese Omelette, Bacon

For my last night of clean out the fridge, I had one more log of goat cheese (I tend to stock up at TJ’s, I can’t help it, it’s so cheap!), as well as frozen spinach, a dozen eggs, and some apples. I also had to get a pound of bacon for the country challenge recipe, but it only called for a few slices, so I knew I could use some up. After thinking for oh, two seconds, one meal came to mind: Breakfast! So here is what I came up with…

Spinach and Goat Cheese Omelettes, Cinnamon Apple Pancakes, and Bacon

From the fridge:
1 4 oz. log plain goat cheese
5 eggs
4 slices of bacon (all for JJ)
½ c. milk
Splash of fat free creamer
1 tbsp. butter

From the pantry:
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 apples, peeled and diced
1c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ c. light brown sugar

From the freezer:
1 c. frozen chopped spinach, thawed

For Pancakes:

In a sautee' apples, cinnamon, half of brown sugar, and butter for 3-4 minutes, or until a bit soft. Set aside to cool.

Mix together 1 egg, milk, flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and half the brown sugar.

Ladle onto a greased skillet over medium heat, top with a few apple pieces.

Cook for 4-5 minutes, flip and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Makes 6 4" panckes.

For Omelette:

Whisk together eggs, cream, salt, pepper, and a dash of hot sauce.

Pour into a large, greased, nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Cook until set in the middle, flip. Add spinach and cheese to the middle, fold one side over. Turn heat off, cover and let cheese melt and spinach warm through.

Cabo Chicken Subs

When JJ and I were in college, we frequented Quiznos. Our favorite was a sandwich that was only around for a few months - the Cabo Chicken. It is based on a cobb salad. I did my best at replicating it, and I think it was very authentic and very delicious to eat while watching the NASCAR race in California!

Cabo Chicken Subs

2 whole wheat sub buns (I made homemade)

1/4 c. guacamole

1/4 c. Chipotle Sub Sauce, recipe follows

1/2 lb. Boars Head Oven Roasted Chicken, sliced

1/4 c. 2% cheddar, shredded or slices

1 large tomato, sliced

1/2 c. romaine lettuce, chopped

4 slices of center cut bacon or turkey bacon

Chipotle Sub Sauce:

2 chipotles in adobo, minced

2 tbsp. light sour cream

Splash of buttermilk

Whirl together in a magic bullet or whisk in a small bowl. Use immediately.

Preheat broiler to high.

Split buns, top with chipotle sauce on each side, then bacon, turkey, and cheese.

Place under the broiler for 2 minutes or until cheese is melted and edges of bun are crisp.

Top with lettuce, tomato, and guacamole.

Country Challenge Winner - Guadeloupe

For dinner tonight I chose to make a meal from a cookbook featuring recipes from Guadeloupe. The author doesn't give any commentary with her recipes, so I don't know who Mamie is, but she makes some great chicken! The risotto was also very good! I paired this with a spinach salad.

Mamie's Chicken with Mushrooms and Creole Risotto

Mamie's Chicken:

2 lbs. chicken, cut into pieces (I used breasts)
2 limes
2 tbsp. fresh thyme
2 tbsp. parsley
1 onion, sliced
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. oil
2 c. sliced mushrooms


Place the chicken in s dish, rub with lime and season with thyme, parsley, onion, pepper and salt. Marinade for 30 mins - 4 hours.
Heat the oil in a skillet, stir in the chicken and seasonings. Brown over medium heat for 10 minutes, stir in the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes.
Lower the heat and cover, simmer for 25 minutes over low heat.



Creole Risotto:
1 cup arborio rice
2 tsp butter
1 c. peeled and diced onoins
1/2 c. chopped bacon, cooked (i used 3 slices)
1 c. diced tomatoes (i used canned, drained)
3 c. chicken stock
1 tbsp. thyme
2 tbps. parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper


Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add onions and rice. Cook for 2-3 minutes, add stock 1/2 cup at a time, stirring between each addition, for a total of 20 minutes. Add in remaining ingredients and stir to combine.


French Carribean Cuisine, Stephanie Ovide. Hippocrene Books: NY, 2002.

You'll need a nap after this one...

I love the weekends because it gives me a chance to make a slow cooked, traditional meal. I decided to make a turkey because we just don’t have them often enough. I can’t think of any other time I eat roast turkey besides Thanksgiving! I asked JJ what sides he wanted, and he said stuffing muffins, so I decided to make them with cranberries and apples, two of my favorites. I love Brussels sprouts, and I’ve been able to get JJ to eat them (every few months). I think they round out this meal nicely. The gravy I make is how my mom makes hers, with carrots, but those can be left out.
This meal will make tons of leftovers for just the two of us, but JJ promised me he’d eat roast turkey sandwiches for lunch all week. The turkey could also be made into pot pie, tetrazzini, or a thanksgiving sandwich…with a moist-maker!

Roast Turkey Breast, Cran-Apple Stuffing Muffins, Pancetta Brussels Sprouts

Turkey:
10 lb. turkey breast, thawed
2 carrots, peeled and split down the middle
1 onion chopped
3 tbsp. butter at room temp.
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
1 cup chicken stock

Gravy:
Pan drippings from Turkey
2 tbsp. flour
2 cups chicken stock
1 tsp. gravy master
Salt and pepper

Stuffing:
2 tbsp. butter or olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 granny smith apple, diced
Salt and pepper
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
4 cups herbed stuffing mix
2 cup chicken stock, warmed (maybe more or less)
1 egg
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup toasted walnuts

Brussels sprouts with Pancetta:
1 ½” slice of pancetta, diced
1 lb. Brussels sprouts, halved

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
In a dish, mash butter, salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Lay carrots in a roasting pan to form a rectangle, scatter onions around the pan. Lay turkey breast over the carrot rack. Using hands, scoop half the butter out of the dish and spread it in between the turkey breast and skin. Spread the other half on the skin of the turkey. Pour chicken stock in the bottom of the dish. Put turkey in the oven and roast for about 2 hours and 45 minutes, or according to time chart enclosed with turkey breast. Every 30 minutes, baste the turkey breast with the drippings.

(Take turkey out of the oven, cover in foil, turn oven up to 375)

Heat skillet over medium high. Add diced pancetta and cook for about 5 minutes, until browned a bit. Add Brussels sprouts and toss to coat in the pancetta drippings. Put skillet in the oven and roast for 30 minutes at 375 until Brussels sprouts are softened. Toss around every 10 minutes to get all sides brown.

In a large skillet on medium low heat, add butter, onion, garlic, and apple. Sautee about 10 minutes, or until softened. In a large mixing bowl, combine stuffing mix, softened vegetables, spices, egg, cranberries, walnuts and chicken stock until stuffing is moist. Spray a large muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon stuffing mix into muffin tin. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until top is browned.

Remove turkey from roasting pan and put on cutting board. Add drippings to a saucepot. Add flour and whisk until flour is cooked. Put onions and carrots in a blender with 1 ½ cups chicken stock. Puree until smooth. Add to drippings and flour mixture and whisk until smooth. Add gravy master and bring to a bubble. Season with salt and pepper. Add chicken stock until gravy reaches desired viscosity.

New Years Appetizer #1

Top Left - Carmalized Onion and Goat Cheese Crostini
Bottom Left - Ham and Swiss Mini Quiche
Top Center- Chicken Wang Dip
Next Center - Mini Twice Baked Potatoes
Next Center - Pesto and Olive Tapenade Palimers
Bottom Center - Pear and Walnut Rolls
Middle Right - Spinach and Artichoke Empanadas
Bottom Right - Cranberry and Brie with Baguettes

Mini Twice Baked Potatoes (makes 40)

20 new potatoes
2 russet potatoes
8 slices cooked bacon
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups reduced fat sour cream
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp. chopped chives

Preheat oven to 400. Pierce russet potatoes with a fork and put on oven rack. Bake for 30 minutes. Pierce new potatoes with a fork and put on a baking sheet. Put new potatoes in the oven, and cook with russets for 30 more minutes. Take potatoes out. Cut in half, and use a melon baller to scoop out insides of all potatoes into a mixing bowl. Lay new potato cups on baking sheet, discard russet potato skins. Add all additional ingredients to mixing bowl and smash together. If mixture seems dry, add chicken stock or milk to loosen it to desired consistency. Put potatoes back in oven and bake 20 minutes or until top is brown and crispy. These can be made ahead and frozen.