White Bean and Vegetable Salad with Rosemary Vinaigrette

I've now got weeks of life with a newborn under my belt. I'm proud to say that cooking is getting quite a bit easier. I find that recipes with multiple short steps seem to work the best right now. Each morning, I think about what I'm going to make for dinner, then decide how every nap I can do a bit more. With this recipe, I had to cook the dried beans, harvest rosemary, make the dressing, chop the veggies, and let it sit and marinade. Of course this can all be done in a marathon of 10 steps, but for now, the 2-3 minute steps spread hours apart are working perfectly. 

One reason cooking itself is getting better is Violet is now happy to sit in her bouncer and watch me cook! Of course, her attention span is about 10 minutes, but I get to practice my cooking show skills on her. A newborn is definitely the toughest critic, I have to say. One awkward minute of silence and she starts screaming! Now I just need to figure out a way to get the photography portion of cooking down... It's still a struggle to time dinner perfectly that I can photograph it and eat it. I've had several great dinners lately that went unphotographed, but I do intend to make them again, and again, and again, if necessary, until it's photographed! 

Note: You can use canned white beans, but I find them mushier than cooked, dried beans.

White Bean and Vegetable Salad with Rosemary Vinaigrette

Salad:

1 c. dried navy beans, cooked, drained and chilled

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cucumber, quartered, seeded and sliced

1/4 c. diced red onion

1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese

Vinaigrette:

1 roasted red pepper, jarred or fresh

1 garlic clove, smashed

1 sprig of fresh rosemary, about 1 tbsp. 

2 tbsp. sweetener (honey, maple syrup, agave)

2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1/4 c. EVOO

Salt and pepper

Place all vinaigrette ingredients in a blender, puree until smooth.

Taste and adjust seasonings.

Add all salad ingredients to a bowl, pour on vinaigrette, mix well.

Chill for 30 minutes and serve.

Grilled Zucchini and Onion Pizza with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Reduction

This pizza may look familiar to you, if you're a long time reader. It's one that I brain stormed to create, and was my first attempt at grilled pizza... which was a giant fail. But I turned it into quesadillas, and it was a big hit! I decided to try the pizza version again, just grilling the vegetables and baking the crust, which worked well. But when we purchased a gas grill rather than charcoal, I was able to grill the crust as well, and it was delicious. 

One of the main components to the pizza is prosciutto, but since that's not in my diet anymore, I had to change it up a bit. For this recreation, I decided to make a sauce layer by creating a puree of cannelini beans and ricotta. It definitely added body and protein to the pizza, but also took it in a much different direction. While I loved this variation, I think I want to tweak it a bit more, and find that saltiness that the prosciutto added in a vegetarian form. Any ideas?? 

Grilled Zucchini and Onion Pizza with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Reduction

1 ball of pizza dough (my favorite whole wheat recipe is here)

1 15 oz. can cannelini beans

1/2 c. ricotta cheese

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 medium zucchini, sliced into 1" rounds on a bias

1 red onion, sliced into 1/2" rounds

1/2 c. crumbled goat cheese

1 c. aged balsamic vinegar

Preheat a grill to 400*

In a small saucepot, add vinegar, turn to low heat and simmer to reduce to a thick syrup.

Roll pizza dough out into a circle, place on a pizza pan. 

Drain beans well, add to a food processor with ricotta, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper, puree.

Place pizza dough on the grill, smear with bean mixture.

Place zucchini and onions on the grill, sprinkle with salt and pepper, close the lid on the grill.

After 4-5 minutes, flip zucchini and onions.

After 4-5 more minutes place zucchini and onions on the pizza, sprinkle with goat cheese and close lid again.

Cook for 2-5 more minutes, until pizza is crisp and cooked through.

Remove from the grill, drizzle with balsamic, slice and serve.

Bruchetta with Melted Mozzarella Toasts

If you ask me what dish represents summer best, I'd have to say Caprese Salad, or any variation of tomatoes, basil and mozzarella. Fresh tomatoes picked right off the vine mixed with bright, sweet basil and fresh, creamy mozzarella to cut through the acidity... it's a trifecta of flavor. 

Every day after work, I go outside with the dogs and survey the crops. During the peak of cherry tomato season, I'd stand next to the planter and pluck one after another off the vine and into my mouth. I harvested daily, and the vines were replenished daily. The same can be said for my basil plants, I'd tear off a handful every other day or so for a dish, and it would be replenished the next day. I honestly can't put into words how rewarding it is to have a garden, even one as small and challenged as mine! 

When my roma tomatoes finally started coming in, they were plentiful. I picked a basketful and left them on the counter to eat at our leisure. We were having  company one evening, and I decided to utilize the fresh tomatoes. Simple bruschetta typically combines tomatoes, basil, onions, and balsamic with toasted bread, so to make this a bit more interesting, I decided to add melted fresh mozzarella to the bread. The end result was a great contrast of flavors, textures, and temperatures. Each ingredient's flavors held their own, and were in perfect harmony. 

Tips and Trades:

-Try using different tomatoes, such as heirloom, for a gorgeous colorful dish.

-Select any bread variety for additional flavor, I used a kalamata olive sourdough from Whole Foods Bakery.

-Eliminate the garlic if you wish, but we all loved it and weren't bothered by the bite of fresh garlic.

Bruschetta with Melted Mozzarella Toasts

2 lbs. diced, seeded Roma tomatoes

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 c. minced red onion

1 c. basil leaves, chiffonade

2 tbsp. balsamic vinaigrette

2 tbsp. EVOO

Salt and pepper

1 loaf of bread, sliced thinly on a bias

1 lb. ball of fresh mozzarella

Add garlic and onion to a mixing bowl.

Toss with balsamic vinaigrette, salt and pepper.

Set aside for 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes, basil and EVOO to the garlic and onions, toss well to combine.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat broiler to high.

Place bread on a baking sheet and broil for 2 minutes, watching carefully so it doesn't burn.

Remove from the oven, flip, top with mozzarella and place back under the broiler.

Broil for another 2-3 minutes, until melted and slightly browned, watch carefully!

Remove tomato mixture from the fridge, taste and season as necessary.

Place on a platter with toasts and serve immediately.

And now, if you remember reading this post, I wrote about my parents letting my sisters and I choose fruit trees to plant at our new house. My sister was looking through old photo albums and found this photo! Here she is with my dad, planting her apple tree! 

The $119 Sandwich (or Martha's Pressed Picnic Sandwich)

Every morning I listen to the Bob and Sheri Radio Show. It's based out of Charlotte, NC, so I stream it on my computer. Because I work in a secluded office, I like to think they're my co-workers and we're having our morning chat. Bob and Sheri appeal to a large demographic of people, so during the "chat room" segment (8-9am), they have callers based on a different subject each day. A few days ago, they were talking about how low the new Martha Stewart shows ratings are, and asked anyone to call in if they watched. A man called in, who I would guess is in the 40-year-old range, and said that his wife watches it. He was home with her one day when she put it on, and said while he'd usually be against watching it, she made a sandwich and they couldn't stop drooling over it. They immediately went out to the grocery store to buy all of the ingredients and make the sandwich. The total bill? $119. Bob and Sheri asked if it was even worth it, and he said it was a great sandwich, but he wouldn't make it again for that price! 

I immediately went online and looked up the sandwich to find out what could possibly be driving up the price... I expected truffles, Gruyère and sliced steak. What I found was something very similar to a recipe I made and put on the blog ages ago - Mediterranean Vegetable Subs. I do realize that it would be easy to make this sandwich add up to $119 if you buy a pound of prosciutto, the finest salami, a gourmet olive tapenade, and fresh bunches of herbs, especially if you make this in the winter and peppers and herbs aren't in season. 

Luckily, I'm a savvy shopper, I grow my own herbs, and have a well stocked pantry, so I was able to make this sandwich at 1/10 of the price! Keep in mind, I didn't include the meat, but if you add 1/2 lb. of each salami and prosciutto, that should only add maybe another $10. Instead, I added a layer of fresh heirloom tomatoes. I also made my own olive paste, the amount I needed, much cheaper than purchasing it. 

So the $119 verdict? I loved the complex flavors this sandwich presented, from the sweet peppers and basil to the savory goat cheese and artichokes with a surprising kick from the cilantro. I really don't think the deli meat is necessary, but would add a nice salty touch to pair with the olive paste. I wouldn't pay $119 for this sandwich, but I would definitely make it again for my next picnic!

Tips and Trades:

-Rather than buy fresh herbs, try using herbed goat cheese on the sandwich. 

-If bell peppers are out of season or quite expensive, look for jarred bell peppers.

-This recipe calls for marinated artichokes, which I find cheaper than regular in small jars. If you can't find marinaded, toss the artichokes in the vinaigrette you make before putting them on the sandwich.

-Ciabatta is a tougher bread, and stands up to all of the ingredients on the sandwich. If you're not eating this immediately, be sure to use a bread with crust, like a baguette, because sliced bread will get soggy.

The $119 Sandwich (Pressed Picnic Sandwiches)

from Martha Stewart

3 bell peppers

1 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tbsp. Balsamic vinegar

1/4 c. EVOO (I used 1 tbsp.)

Salt and pepper

1 loaf of rustic Italian bread (I used Ciabatta from the Whole Foods bakery)

1/2 c. prepared olive paste (recipe below)

8 oz. fresh goat cheese

8 oz. marinaded artichoke hearts

2 1/4 c. mixed herbs, such as parsley, cilantro and basil

1 heirloom tomato, sliced

Olive paste:

1/2 c. mixed olives (I used kalamatta and Spanish green)

2 tbsp. minced parsley

1 garlic clove

1 tbsp. EVOO

Salt and pepper

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Add all olive paste ingredients to a food processor, pulse and run until a paste is created, add EVOO if necessary. Refrigerate until using.

Heat a broiler on high, place peppers directly under and broil until skin is charred, rotating as necessary. 

When all sides are blistered and charred, place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to steam skins off.

Rest for 5 minutes, peel skins off and discard with seeds, slice peppers in half.

In a small dish, whisk together Dijon, balsamic, EVOO, salt and pepper.

Slice the bread loaf in half, rip out insides and reserve for another use (breadcrumbs or croutons).

Spread olive paste on one half of the bread, crumble goat cheese on top, then artichokes, tomatoes and bell peppers.

Drizzle with vinaigrette, add herbs and top, press down and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. 

Refrigerate until eating, at least 30 minutes, up a few hours. 

Barley, Lentils and Roasted Root Vegetables

When I saw this recipe pop up in my google reader last week, I was immediately drawn to it. I love roasted vegetables, and I also had half a bag of barley on hand. I love making salads like this, the kind that can be served hot or cold, and can have interchangable ingredients depending on what's on hand. The only addition I really made to this recipe was lentils for protein.

I was on the fence about parsnips in the past, but this recipe changed my mind about them, and I now can say I enjoy parsnips!

Barley, Lentils and Roasted Root Vegetables

adapted from Cate, based on a recipe by David Lebovitz

1 cup pearled barley
1 cup lentils
5 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1 bay leaf
2 lbs mixed root vegetables, cut into 1/2″ dice
(I used 1 medium butternut squash, 4 parsnips, 4 carrots, 1 large turnip, 1 medium rhutabega)
1 red onion, diced
2 tbsp. olive oil
A few sprigs fresh thyme
Zest and juice from a grapefruit (or orange, lemon, etc.)
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup dried cranberries


Preheat the oven to 425 F.
Bring water to a boil in a stock pot, add the salt, bay leaf, barley and lentils.
Simmer, until the barley and lentils are tender, about 35 minutes.
Toss the vegetables, onion, 1 tbsp. olive oil, thyme, a few pinches of salt and a few grinds of black pepper and spread on a sheet pan (I used 2 sheet pans).
Roast for about 30 minutes, stirring once or twice, rotating pans from top to bottom, if using two.
Drain the barley and lentils, if there is residual water, remove bay leaf.
Whisk together the zest, juice, vinegar and another tbsp. of olive oil.
Add the barley, lentils, cranberries and vegetables.
Toss gently to mix.
Taste and adjust the seasonings.
Serve at room temperature, garnished with a few sprigs of fresh thyme.

*Cate's recipe also called for walnuts, which would have been a delicious addition, but I did not have any on hand, next time I would add them for a bit of crunch and texture.

Italian Pasta Salad

I love to bring pasta salads to cookouts. They're so versatile and everyone loves a good pasta salad. I like to put in tons of veggies to really bulk it up. Usually I use some sort of fun pasta shape, or tortellini. I think everyone loves tortellini pasta salad more than regular, and I aim to please!

I like to add the warm tortellini to the onions to take a bit of the bite of raw onion, and the warm tortellini really sucks up the dressing well.

Italian Pasta Salad

2 lbs. fresh or frozen tortellini

1/2 diced red onion

1 english cucumber, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1/2 c. chopped sun dried tomatoes

1 15 oz. can artichoke hearts, diced

4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled

dressing:

1/2 c. balsamic vinegar

1/4 c. EVOO

handful of parsley

2 tbsp. fresh oregano leaves

10 fresh basil leaves

salt and pepper

1 tbsp. honey

2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

Cook tortellini according to package directions.

Add onion to a large bowl.

Add warm tortellini.

Blend dressing ingredients, pour over tortellini while still warm.

Refrigerate until chilled.

Add diced vegetables, toss, top with goat cheese and gently stir to combine.

Serve chilled.

Heirloom Tomatoes with Goat Cheese and Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

For this dish, I copied it straight off a tapas menu from a restaurant I found online, but I used Heirloom tomatoes rather than beefsteak. I love goat cheese with tomatoes, and balsamic dressings are my favorite. I made up the dressing recipe, it's pretty simple, like any standard lighter vinaigrette. I always buy organic goat cheese, which unlike most products, is the same price as regular! I guess this is sort of the Spanish equivalent of an Italian caprese, another one of my favorites!

Also, I have found that putting the goat cheese in the freezer for 5 minutes and crumbling it with a fork is the best way to get it out and not all over your fingers!

Heirloom Tomatoes with Goat Cheese and Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

4 large heirloom tomatoes, sliced

2 oz. organic goat cheese, crumbled

Vinaigrette:

1 tbsp. honey

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp. EVOO

handful of flat leaf parsley

salt and pepper

Add dressing ingredients to a blender, whirl to combine.

Arrange tomatoes on a plate, top with goat cheese and dressing.

Caprese Polenta Stacks

I absolute love caprese salad. I also love to play around with the flavors and try them out in different dishes, like in pizza and burgers. I also like to take the actual salad and deconstruct it, make it in a different form, or add an element or two to make it new and fun.
I have been craving polenta, and I love when it's cut into rounds. I thought I could make everything the same size, and make little stacks of caprese salad and polenta.
Well, this dish was an absolute hit, the polenta was delicious, and the salad was cool and refresing. It was a vegetable and starch side in one! I served it with some TJ's roasted garlic sausage for a complete dinner.
Note: Rather than buying premade polenta rolls, make your own polenta, chill and cut into rounds (see photo below!) Also, the smoked mozzarella is pretty strong, next time I might just sub fresh mozzarella so it's doesn't overpower the other flavors.

Caprese Polenta Stacks

with Heirloom Tomatoes and Smoked Mozzarella

Polenta:

1 1/2 c. vegetable stock

1/2 c. skim milk

2/3 c. organic polenta

salt and pepper

2-3 heirloom tomatoes (I got red and green)

1 8 oz. ball of smoked or plain fresh mozzarella

10 basil leaves, chiffonade

1/2 c. aged balsamic vinegar

In a medium sauce pot, bring stock and milk to a boil.

Slowly whisk in polenta, turn heat to low.

Season with salt and pepper, continue to occasionally whisk for 20 minutes.

Line a pan with parchment, smear polenta over parchment, refrigerate for an hour.

In a small saucepan, heat vinegar over medium heat, reduce by 3/4 until it becomes a thick syrup.

Slice tomatoes into 1/4" rounds.

Slice mozzarella into 1/4" rounds.

Use a biscuit cutter and cut polenta into rounds, about 2.5", or the size of the tomatoes and mozzarella.

Place down the rounds, top with a slice of tomato, mozzarella, another slice of tomato, and another polenta round.

When ready to serve, drizzle with balsamic reduction and sprinkle with basil.

A Year Ago: Authentic Mexican - Achiote Pork Torta and Poblano Bisque

Balsamic Blue Burgers on Kaiser Rolls

For dinner tonight, my husband was FINALLY joining me! I decided to make something he'd really enjoy. I saw these Kaiser Rolls in Annie's blog a few weeks ago, and knew they would be delicious! She warned that you had to plan ahead for this one because the rolls take 2 days to make. They have to rise and be punched down, and rise and shape, and rise and flip, and rise, and rise and rise! Mine didn't come out exactly as I hoped because I used whole wheat flour and bread flour, and the whole wheat just doesn't leave the same texture. Next time I make these, I'll be using all bread or AP like the recipe states.
For the burgers, I wanted to make something filling and flavorful, so I made a balsamic and blue cheese burger. They were delicious! I served the burgers with asparagus and a salad.

Balsamic Blue Burgers on Kaiser Rolls

1 lb. 96% lean ground beef
1/2 yellow onion, grated
1 tbsp. worchestershire sauce

2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar, separated
Garlic Salt
Pepper
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 yellow onion, sliced

8 button mushrooms, sliced

2 oz. crumbled blue cheese

Preheat a nonstick skillet to medium heat.

Add onions and mushrooms, sautee for 10 minutes, or until softened.

Add 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Turn heat off.
Preheat grill pan to medium-high.

Gently toss ground beef, onion, worchestershire, 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar, salt, and peppers in a bowl.

Form into 4 patties.

Grill for 4 minutes on the first side.

Top each burger with 1/4 of the mushroom/onion mix and 1/4 of the blue cheese crumbles.

Grill on the second side for 5 more minutes.

Plate on the roll and serve.

A Year Ago: Oddly enough, burgers on homemade wheat rolls for the NASCAR Vegas Race! Chipotle Cheddar Sliders on Whole Wheat Yeast Rolls

The Best Ever Roasted Cauliflower

I believe in fate... especially when it comes to good food! Sadly, baseball season is in full force, so my husband will be missing many dinners at home over the next few months, but it's ok, because I get to make some of my favorite dishes (and eat vegetarian meals)!
JJ will eat almost anything I put on his plate, but he's told me he refuses to eat cauliflower, so don't bother making it for him ever. I respect his hatred (though I can't understand it!) so when I was planning this week's menu, I had to include some cauliflower!
I was just about to ask for some recommendations when Cara said she had the best ever cauliflower for dinner. She simply roasted it, then tossed it with balsamic vinegar and blue cheese, two of my other favorite ingredients! It was fate... and it was GOOD!
I decided to plate it over some barilla plus rotini and I added a chopped up chik'n patty (morningstar farms faux chicken).

The Best Ever Roasted Cauliflower

(Balsamic and Blue Cheese Cauliflower)

by Cara

1 head of fresh cauliflower, washed and chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

salt & pepper

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 oz crumbled blue cheese

Preheat oven to 400F.

Toss cauliflower in olive oil and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Roast for about 18 minutes, then remove from oven.

Drizzle with balsamic vinegar, season with salt and pepper, and toss to distribute.

Sprinkle with cheese and returns to oven for another 5-10 minutes.

If desired, turn on broiler at the end to finish browning to your liking.

Since I haven't posted much this week, there's a bit of A Year Ago's, as an aside, these are some of my absolute favorite dishes EVER:
German Potato Salad
Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs & Baked Zucchini Sticks with Marinara
Sausage and Lentil Stew with Cheddar Herb Beer Bread
Pesto & Pea Orrecchheti with Prosciutto and Provolone Stuffed Chicken

Dinner Challenge: Balsamic Apricot Chicken with Asparagus and Cous Cous

For the last night of my dinner challenge, I wanted to do something a little fancier and something that could be made quickly and cheaply for Valentine’s Day.
I love balsamic vinegar glazed on my asparagus and on chicken, and I love the sweet and savory combo, so I decided to make an apricot balsamic glaze.
A super easy, quick starch side is cous cous, which goes really well with the chicken and asparagus. Sometimes I like to buy plain cous cous and flavor it, but tonight I went with a box of whole wheat garlic cous cous.

Balsamic Apricot glazed Chicken with Asparagus and Cous Cous

2 chicken breasts, pounded thin (on sale for $2.49/lb.)

Salt and pepper
½ c. Balsamic Vinegar (Used 1/4 of the bottle, which I had, so about $1)
1 tbsp. honey (Already had a large bottle, so about $.50)
10 dried apricots, minced (in the bulk bin, 1/4 lb. for $1.25)

1/4 tsp. dried or fresh rosemary (had dried on hand, sub any herb you have)
1 lb. asparagus spears (On sale this week for $1.28/lb, sub green beans or any veggie on sale)
1 box of whole wheat cous cous ($2.99)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Preheat large nonstick skillet to medium-high heat.
In a small pot over medium, add vinegar, apricots, rosemary and honey. Reduce.
Pound chicken in plastic, season with salt and pepper. Add to nonstick sillet and brown each side, about 5-6 minutes.
Toss asparagus with salt, pepper and EVOO. Roast for 10 minutes (I don't wait for the oven to preheat, I get them in asap).
In another small pot, add 2 c. water and bring to a boil. Add cous cous and seasonings, turn heat off and cover. Set aside.
When chicken is cooked, turn heat to low, baste with vinegar mixture to caramelize it.
Fluff cous cous with a fork.
Plate cous cous, asparagus and chicken, drizzle with remaining vinegar mixture.

Total Time - 18 Minutes

Total Cost - $9.51

Total Ingredients - 7

A Year Ago: Classic Valentine's Day Fondue and Spicy Chicken Satay with Peanut Dipping Sauce

Tuscan Sliders

When we were in Cleveland at Christmas, we went to a bar/restaurant that specialized in burgers and obscure beers on tap. JJ ordered the Tuscan burger, and absolutely loved it. I told him I'd make it for him at home and he was thrilled. The elements were all very simple, but the flavors were delicious. I had some mini rolls in the freezer, so I made sliders rather than large burgers. I served these with zucchini fries and salad.

Tuscan Sliders

6 oz. 96% lean ground beeef
1/4 red onion, grated
1 tbsp. penzeys chicago steak seasoning
1 tbsp. worchestershire sauce
6 mini rolls
egg wash (from making zucchini sticks)
sprinkle of sesame seeds
1 red onion, sliced thin
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 roasted red peppers, chopped
1 6 oz. log of herbed goat cheese, in 6 slices


Arrange rolls on a baking sheet, brush with egg wash, sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake according to package directions.
Preheat a grill pan to medium-high heat.
In a small skillet over medium heat, sweat onion with salt and pepper. Gently stir for 20 minutes. Add vinegar to glaze onions right before plating burgers.
Gently combine beef, grated onion, spices and worchestershire in a bowl. Form into 6 mini patties. Gently lay on the grill pan. Cook for 5 minutes on the first side, flip and turn heat to low. Top each burger with a slice of goat cheese, cover and let the cheese melt and the other side cook for 5 minutes.
Split buns, top with onion, burger (with cheese on top) and red peppers. Serve.

Mediteranean Orzo Pasta Salad

I have made this orzo pasta salad before for the blog, but it did exactly photograph well (because back then I didn't know about the close-up setting on the camera). I was in the mood for it again, and thought I'd change it up a bit, as well as get a good photo! I had 2 links of 2 kinds of chicken sausage, so we did a mixed grill - sun dried tomato from Trader Joes, and Asiago Spinach from Sam's Club. It was a delicious meal, great hot or cold (ours was room temp.)

Mediteranean Orzo Pasta Salad

½ lb. orzo
4 cups baby spinach leaves, packed
1 can quartered artichoke hearts in water
5 sundried tomatoes in olive oil
10 olives, sliced (mixed green Spanish and Kalamata)
10 small piquio red peppers, diced (or roasted red bell)
¼ cup toasted pine nuts
1/4 red onion, diced
1/2 c. fat free feta, crumbled

1 tbsp. EVOO

1/4 c. balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp. oregano

Salt and pepper

Bring a pot of water to a boil, salt and add the orzo.

While orzo cooks, prep the veggies, chop the spinach and place in a colander.

When orzo is cooked, pour over the spinach to wilt it a bit. Let the orzo cool for 4-5 minutes.

Place all veggies and pasta in a bowl, top with the EVOO, balsamic, salt, pepper, and oregano. Toss. Serve or refrigerate until serving.

The Very Best of Fall Lasagna

For dinner tonight, I decided to make a completely different kind of lasagna after seeing a few variations of butternut squash lasagna on food network. They were made with butternut puree and a béchamel, rather than marinara. As I’ve said a million times, fall is my favorite season because I love the wonderful flavors. Rather than just use butternut, I decided to use many fall flavors.

Now I have to warn you, when I set out to make this, I didn’t think about how many different elements were in the dish, and the multi-tasking necessary. It seemed as I pulled more and more ingredients out, they had to be prepped and cooked before I could use them! Before I knew it, I had 7 pots/pans/bowls out! Now I know that sounds a little intimidating, but I think I have mild ADD so I was loving the million things doing on – but you can break it down and do 1 thing at a time, you don’t need to do everything at once.

Believe me, you want to make this. It is so delicious, and showcases 10 fall flavors/ingredients – apple, maple, acorn squash, butternut squash, pumpkin, caramelized onions, sausage, nutmeg, thyme, and wheat! (And quite possibly 11 when you count the smoked fontina, but that’s your call!)

The Very Best of Fall Lasagna

1 box whole wheat lasagna noodles
1 package apple maple chicken sausage (trader joe’s)
1 can of organic pumpkin puree
2 c. part skim ricotta cheese
¼ tsp. cinnamon
2 yellow onions, sliced
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
½ tsp. thyme
1 acorn squash
1 butternut squash
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. flour
½ c. chicken stock
1 c. 2% milk
Fresh grated nutmeg, to taste
2 c. shredded smoked fontina cheese
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt heavily.
Combine pumpkin puree, ricotta, cinnamon, salt and pepper in a bowl. Set aside until ready to construct lasagna
Cook sausage according to package directions. Slice and set aside until ready to construct lasagna.
In a nonstick skillet over low heat, sauté onions for 15 minutes, or until tender. Add thyme, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar. Cook until vinegar is a glaze onions, turn heat off and set aside until ready to construct lasagna.
Place a steamer basket over boiling water. Peel, seed, and slice acorn and butternut squash. Place in steamer basket and steam for 3-4 minutes, do not overcook! They should be al dente. Set aside until ready to construct.
Drop the pasta noodles, and cook for 7 minutes.
Melt the butter in a saucepan, add in flour and cook out over medium heat. Add stock, milk and nutmeg. Bring to a simmer. Add ½ of the cheese. Whisk until combined, turn off heat.
Drain noodles when they’re very al dente.

To construct lasagna:
Ladle cheese sauce into the bottom of a lasagna dish. Place noodles in the bottom, top with ricotta mix, then slices of squash, then slices of sausage, some balsamic onions, and a ladle full of the cheese sauce.
Repeat beginning with noodles for 2 more layers, using up squash, sausage, and onions.
At the 4th layer, spread on ricotta mixture, remaining cheese sauce, and then top with the remaining 1 c. of fontina cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly.

(The inspirational fall ingredients)

(The 7 elements to construction!)

(Layer 1 minus the cheese sauce topping)

(The not pretty, but gooey, delicious shot)

Grilled Zucchini, Goat Cheese and Prosciutto Pizza - Sucess!

A few weeks ago, I tried to grill pizza. I failed miserably. I took what I was going to put on the pizza into a quesadilla, and it was awesome. I still wanted to make it as a pizza though, so I did that again, this time not grilled though. I made my basic pizza crust and topped it with the delicious combo and it was awesome! The balsamic reduction is what really makes it special!

Grilled Zucchini, Goat Cheese and Proscuitto Pizza

Dough:

1 packet active dry yeast

1 tbsp. granulated sugar

1 c. warm water

1 c. whole wheat flour

3/4 c. all purpose flour

Toppings:

2 large zucchini, sliced lengthwise and grilled

1/4 lb. sliced prosciutto

2 slices of red onion, grilled

4 oz. herbed goat cheese

Salt and Pepper

1/2 c. balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp. cornstarch

Add water, yeast and sugar to a mixing bowl. Let it sit for 10 minutes, yeast will bubble. Turn the dough hook on and add in the flours. If the dough is too sticky, add another 1/4 c. all purpose flour. Let it knead for 5 minutes. Cover with a damp towel and let it sit for 1-2 hours.

Slice zucchini, salt and pepper both sides very well. Lay zucchini on grill and cook 2-3 minutes on each side, or until a bit charred. Add onions, be careful with them, they fall apart easily! Add prosciutto to a cooler part of the grill, keep an eye on it! Remove everything from the grill and lay on a sheet pan.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk vinegar and cornstarch until it's thick and hot. Set aside.

Roll out dough, and place on a pizza pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes. Add toppings and put back in the oven for another 3-5 minutes. Drizzle with balsamic reduction, slice and serve.

Grilled Zucchini, Prosciutto, and Goat Cheese Quesadillas with Balsamic Reduction

When we fail, it builds character, and new ideas are created... and that's how this awesome quesadilla (which i'm sure would be an awesome pizza as intended) came about.
I got 6 beautiful zucchini from my dad's garden, so I had to base a meal around them. Grilling zucchini is my favorite way to prepare it, and I had been wanting to make grilled pizza, so I went with it. Another favorite is goat cheese on my pizza. I wanted to add in some kind of meat, and prosciutto is great with goat cheese. So, I grilled my veggies first, had them all set aside, and I was ready to grill one side of the pizza then flip, then add the veggies and meat, when it caught fire. Luckily I made a TJ's run over the weekend and had some spinach tortillas, which were even more awesome than the pizza! Seriously, best.quesadilla.ever.

Grilled Zucchini, Prosciutto, and Goat Cheese Quesadilla with Balsamic Reduction

2 large zucchini, sliced lengthwise
1/4 lb. sliced prosciutto
2 shallots, sliced
2 oz. herbed goat cheese
Salt and Pepper
4 Spinach tortillas
1/2 c. balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. cornstarch


Slice zucchini, salt and pepper both sides very well. Slice shallots. Lay zucchini on grill and cook 2-3 minutes on each side, or until a bit charred. Add shallots, be careful with them, they fall apart easily! Add prosciutto to a cooler part of the grill, keep an eye on it!
Remove everything from the grill and lay on a sheet pan.
Spread goat cheese over the tortillas, press veggies and prosciutto into the middle, either grill or pan fry for 2-3 minutes per side.
To make reduction, bring balsamic to a simmer in a small pot for 10 minutes, or until reduced by 2/3, whisk in cornstarch and set aside.

Cherry Balsamic Spinach Salad

I love cherries! I am so happy it's cherry season now, even though they're still a bit pricey. I love cranberry balsamic dressing, so I figured cherry would be a great substitute. This salad was simple and very delicious!

Cherry Balsamic Spinach Salad

4 cups baby spinach leaves
15 cherries, 10 halved
1/4 c . walnuts, toasted
1/4 red onion, sliced


dressing:
1/4 c. aged balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. EVOO
5 cherries
1/2 tsp. fresh oregano
salt and pepper


Add dressing ingredients to a blender and blend for 30 seconds until well incorporated.
Arrange salad, pour dressing over.

Antipasto, Mom's Way

Today's NASCAR race is in Pocono, PA. I did some research, and found no specific dishes from Pocono, PA. I asked my friend Trish if PA had any specific dishes, and she couldn't come up with anything either! So I did a little research and found out Stromboli is a PA favorite. I love pairing Italian dishes with Antipasto. I've seen antipasto made many ways, some as just meat and cheese, some with salad, some inbetween. I decided to make it the way my mom makes hers, mainly as a salad, with some pickled veggies on top, and meat and cheese.

Antipasto, Mom's Way

1 head of romaine lettuce, chopped

1 tomato, sliced

1/4 english cucumber, sliced

mozzarella balls

assorted olives

assorted mini pickled veggies

roasted peppers

italian meats

Caprese Skewers with Balsamic Reduction

I absolutely love Caprese Salad. I've made it a million ways and incorporated it into a million dishes. I racked my brain to come up with a party pleaser, and I think I hit the nail on the head with these! They stood up perfectly, and were a nice little bite of deliciousness!

Caprese Skewers with Balsamic Reduction

3 pints grape tomatoes

2 1 lb. containers fresh mozzarella balls

10 basil leaves, chiffonaded

1 c. balsamic vinegar

50 toothpicks

In a small saucepan, boil balsamic vinegar for 10 minutes, until reduced to a syrup. Cool, pour into a container.

Cut 25 tomatoes in half.

Place a tomato on the toothpick, followed by a mozzarella ball, then use half a tomato as a foot.

Place on a plate. Drizzle with balsamic reduction and sprinkle with basil confetti.

Memorial Day BBQ Feast!

I spent Memorial Day weekend at my sister and brother in law's house in Cleveland. They invited their friends over for a BBQ on Monday. Kris asked me to come up with a menu, and this is what we had:

Trio of Homemade Humms with Veggie Dippers

Spinach Salad with Cranberries and Pine Nuts (and a few other things)

Mediteranean Stuffed Turkey Burgers

Black and Blue Stuffed Beef Burgers

Yellow Cake with Mandarin Orange Filling

For the hummus trio, I followed my basic recipe:

1 can chickpeas, drained
1/4 cup water
Juice of 1/2 lemon
3 tbsp. tahini
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cumin

*Variation ingredient
Blend all ingredients in a food processer until smooth and creamy. Store in the fridge for up to a week.

The three varaitions were

5 oil packed sun-dried tomatoes

1/4 c. chives, roughly chopped

1 head of roasted garlic, method found here

I added each ingredient to a seperate batch of hummus. They were served with sliced veggies and rice crackers.

The salad was a basic spinach salad with a few extras thrown in

8 c. baby spinach leaves

1/4 c. pine nuts

1/2 c. dried cranberries

1/4 c. garbanzo beans

6 tomatoes, quartered

1/2 c. dressing (pear champagne vinaigrette)

For the burgers, I wanted to make 2 kinds to please the beef eaters and non beef eaters. I love stuffing my turkey burgers because they cook so quickly and stay moist. I knew I wanted to do a black and blue burger because it's my favorite pairing with beef, and I like Mediteranean flavors with turkey.

Black and Blue Stuffed Beef Burgers

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 yellow onion, grated

2 tbsp. worchestershire sauce

Garlic salt and pepper

2 onions, sliced thin

2-3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles

Carmelize onions on medium-low heat with 2 tbsp EVOO for 30 minutes, add vinegar, reduce and turn off heat to cool. Add to blue cheese in a bowl, mix and set aside.

Mix beef with grated onion, worchestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Divide into 8 sections. Pat 4 sections into patties, lay on baking sheet. Spoon filling on each, top with remaining 4 sections and press to seal. Refrigerate until ready to cook. Grill for 4-5 minutes per side.

Mediteranean Stuffed Turkey Burgers:

1 lb. ground turkey breast

1/2 yellow onion, grated

2 tbsp. worchestershire sauce

Garlic Salt

Pepper

4 artichoke hearts, minced

4 sun dried tomatoes, minced

2 tbps. feta crumbled

Mix turkey, onion, worchestershire, salt and pepper. Divide into 8 sections. Mix artichokes, tomatoes and feta. Shape 4 patties and place on baking sheet, spoon mixture onto each patty, top with remaining sections, press together and seal. Cook 5 minutes per side.