Not Your Typical Salad

Monday nights are officially salad night in our home.  After I whipped up a few seriously good salads, it was my husbands idea (shock, awe) that we should be having these suckers weekly.  What to put in a salad is really as endless as pasta, tacos, and stir fry.  Start with some greens (or not) and just add whatever floats your boat.  This particular salad was pretty rockstar, if I do say so myself, so feel free make this your next meal. Something tells me your family will love it!  

Roasted Beet, Goat Cheese, and Salmon Salad

*for the vinaigrette/marinade:

4 T. olive oil

2T. red wine vinegar

2T. honey

2t. dijon mustard

salt/pepper

*Honestly, I never measure out my vinaigrettes but usually a ratio of 1 part vinegar to 2 parts oil works well. Just taste and refine as you go.

for the salad:

salmon

arugula

toasted walnuts

goat cheese

cooked green beans, cut into 1" pieces

roasted beets (peel, and cut. toss with olive oil slap and pepper.  roast in a foil pack at 400 degrees for about an hour, serve warm or room temp.)

Mix the vinaigrette directly into the bowl that you will be making your salad.  Season the salmon with salt and pepper and drizzle a small amount of vinaigrette over the top of each filet.  With a non stick skillet on med high heat add a tablespoon of olive oil, add the salmon flesh side down once the pan is nice and hot.  Let cook for about 4 minutes per side (I like to do a little longer on the flesh side and a few minutes shy on the skin side so the flesh side gets nice and browned).  Meanwhile add arugula, walnuts, goat cheese, green beans, and beets to the bowl with the vinaigrette, toss together and arrange on plates.  Top with cooked salmon and enjoy.  Easy peasy.

Beer Battered Green Bean Bundles

I am still not sure how this happened…while discussing our options for dinner last night, (veggie pizza, or soup) I was somehow coaxed into making fried green beans for an appetizer.  Now, appetizers are not coming place in our house (unless we are entertaining) and I rarely pour a quart of oil in a pan to cook our food, but what can I say?  I admit I was a bit intrigued how they'd turn out and had a ton of green beans in the fridge that needed to be eaten, like, yesterday. And so, Monday night appetizers were had.  They were, in a word, amazing, and a perfect addition to some Monday Night Football.  I saved the oil and plan on making beet chips later this week... the deep frying gods are calling my name!  Let's hope I don't make a habit out of this.  

Batter and Bundles

The Finished Product, Complete with Sriracha Mayo

1 quart oil ( I used canola, but any high heat oil will work)

1 lb green beans (steamed to crisp tender)

1 c. beer

1 c. flour

2 t. salt

1 t. pepper

2 T. mayo

1/2 t. sriracha

toothpicks

Heat oil in a large pot to 375 degrees (a candy thermometer comes in very handy here).  Meanwhile string about 5 green beans on each toothpick until you have them all bundled.  Whisk the beer, flour, salt and pepper together in a large bowl (should be consistency of pancake batter, add more flour or beer if needed).  Once the oil has heated, dip the bundles in the batter, draining off any excess and set gently in oil.  Let cook until batter turns golden, about 5 minutes, turning at least once.  Take out of oil with a spider instrument and set on a paper towel lined plate.  Season with salt.  Mix the mayo and sriracha for a quick and tasty dip.  Yum!

Creamy Zucchini Bake

I am starting to dread when a new zucchini pops up in my garden.  Another followed by another, what the crap am I supposed to do with all of these?  Thank goodness for a random Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives I happened to watch that mentioned a killer zucchini bake some BBQ joint serves as a side.  "That's it!" A solution to all those squash and zucchini ominously staring at me every time I open my fridge.  While it's not the healthiest of vegetable sides, it is low carb and gluten free, (just don't top with the breadcrumbs).   So bake it up, serve it with a nice steak, a baked sweet potato and you'll have the perfect weekend dinner. 

8-10 med zucchini and/or squash

1 T. olive oil

1t. salt

1/2t. pepper

6 T. butter, divided

1/4 c. flour

2 c. milk

1 c. sharp cheddar cheese shredded

3/4 c. bread crumbs

1/2 c. parmesan cheese, shredded

chives (optional)

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Dice all the zucchini and squash into 1/2" chunks.  Heat olive oil in a sauté pan over med heat, add zucchini, salt and pepper.  Cook for 10-15 minutes until the zucchini is tender.  Set aside.  Meanwhile, in a sauce pan over med heat, melt 3T. butter, whisk in flour and cook for about 1 minute (until the raw flour taste is cooked out).  Next, whisk in milk and cheese and bring to a bubble, season with salt and pepper to taste.  In a separate bowl melt the remaining 3T. of butter and mix with the breadcrumbs and parmesan, set aside.  Combine the cheese mixture with the cooked zucchini and pour into a oven proof baking dish.  Top with breadcrumb mixture and bake for about 20 minutes, until top is golden and bubbly.  Garnish with chives.  Enjoy!

Summer! Not over yet.

Oh September, such a wonderful month.  Football begins, there's a slight chill in the air, and summer vegetables are still going strong.  Now is the time to soak up all summer has to offer,  before you know it they will move over for cooler days.  So, go on, make a delicious meal chalk full of summer goodness, sit outside, enjoy the hot summer sun and reflect on everything that this wonderful season has to offer. 

Marinated Tomatoes, Basil and Ricotta Pasta

Ingredients:

1lb. Tomatoes (any variety or a mixture thereof)

1 T. Red Wine Vinegar

1 t. Sugar

1 t. of garlic, minced

1 t. Salt

1/2 t. Pepper

8 oz. Ricotta 

1 cup Basil roughly chopped 

3/4 lb Spaghetti

Chop the tomatoes (if they are cherry tomatoes, halve them)  and set in a bowl.  Add vinegar, garlic, sugar,  salt, and pepper to the tomatoes.  Mix and let sit for about 4-8 hours (the more time it sits the better it gets). When it's time for dinner cook the pasta in salted water until al dente, drain and put the pasta in a large sauté pan over med heat, add the tomatoes, ricotta (reserve 2T.), chopped basil (reserve 2T.).  Toss until combined and warmed through.  Serve and top with remaining ricotta and basil. Enjoy!

Birthday Breakfast

My sweet, rambunctious, delightful daughter celebrated her 2nd birthday this past Sunday. Her grandparents came in town for the festivities and we had a jammed packed weekend planned.  Saturday was spent at our neighboring city Fort Collins for some good old fashion tailgating with friends and family followed by a high spirited college football game.  I wanted to have the birthday girls breakfast planned ahead of time since I knew we weren't going to be around much beforehand.  This baked french toast fit the bill perfectly.  I made it early Saturday morning set it in the fridge to soak up all that wonderful custard and baked it off the next day.  I made a quick strawberry "syrup" that was nice and tart, a perfect balance to the sweet french toast.  On the side a simple fruit salad with a squeeze of lime and a drizzle of honey. The result was mm mmm tasty, fit for a birthday princess.  

 This recipe is adapted from the Pioneer Woman Cooks website, to access her recipe go here

Ingredients

• 1 loaf Crusty Sourdough Or French Bread
• 8 whole Eggs
• 2 1/2 cups half and half
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract

• Topping

• 1/2 cup Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1 stick Cold Butter, Cut Into Pieces   

Grease a 9x13" pan with butter.  Cut or tear bread into 1" cubes and add to pan. In a separate bowl mix together eggs, half and half, sugars, and vanilla.  Add egg mixture to bread in pan, cover and chill in fridge overnight.  For the topping mix the sugar, cinnamon, salt and butter together with a fork or your fingers until the mixture resembles fine pebbles.

When your ready to bake, heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Uncover the pan, add the topping and bake for 35-45 minutes.  Or until the top is browned and crunchy and the bottom is still moist.

Serve with warmed syrup.  

Strawberry "jam" is easy to make.  Just add 1/2 cup of strawberry jam into a sauce pan, 1 T. of lime or lemon juice and a few tablespoons of water, (if you want it a little sweeter add 1T. of sugar).  Heat up and simmer for about 5 minutes. Serve warm with french toast.

Ta da!  The finished product, with a fruit salad side.  A decadent and oh so delicious breakfast feast.

Spiced Cookies

 I use the term "cookies" loosely in this recipe as my family unanimously decided they taste more like the tops of muffins. Either way these tasty baked goods are perfect for a snack, dessert, or even breakfast.  Using pumpkin puree instead of butter cuts the fat almost entirely and with ingredients like oats and almond butter in the mix, this is a much healthier alternative to your run of the mill cookie.  So eat up and enjoy!

1 1/2c. flour

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. vanilla

1/2 t. nutmeg

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. salt

1 can pumpkin puree

1/3 c. sugar

1/3 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. almond butter

1 egg

1c. old fashion oats

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  In a med bowl combine flour, baking soda, spices and salt.  In a larger bowl combine pumpkin puree and sugars and whisk until creamy, next add almond butter and egg and mix until smooth.  Slowly add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and stir until just combined, stir in the oats.  Drop dough by rounded tablespoonful onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool and store in an air tight container for up to 3 days.

Well stocked

 Chicken stock holds up beautifully in your freezer for months and months.  I know you can easily buy chicken stock at your grocery store, but this one batch made 20 cups of stock (that's 5 store bought boxes) and takes very little hands on time.  Not to mention the flavor is unbeatable!  I also included my preferable freezing method for squash and zucchini, a perfect way to enjoy garden veggies year round! A well stocked freezer makes mealtime quick, easy and homemade!

Chicken Stock

I made a roast chicken the night before and saved the cooked carcass along with the innards (heart, gizzard, liver).  Throw all of these in a large soup pot with 2 carrots cut in half, 1 onion cut in quarters, 2 celery cut in half, 2 bay leaves, 5 peppercorns, 1T salt, parsley stems (save the leaves for something else), garlic bulb (split horizontally). No need to peel anything.  Fill with water to the top and gently simmer mixture for 4 hours.  Strain all of the vegetables out of the stock and pour in freezable containers. Allow to cool to room temperature, freeze for up to 6 months.

Zucchini and Squash Freezer Prep

 I shredded about 10 zucchini and squash, put them in a colander and set it in boiling water for 2 minutes. Next remove and set the squash in ice cold water to stop the cooking.  Put in freezer bags and make sure as much air as possible is removed.  Store in your freezer for up to 3 months.  Use in marinara, meatballs/meatloaf, baking breads. 

Winner winner chicken dinner

 I love the anticipation of creating a meal, especially on Sundays.   There is ample time to figure out exactly what to make, go to the store, (usually toddler free, yes!), gather ingredients and take a little more time than usual in the kitchen to create something memorable and hearty.  My main reason for making a roast chicken this particular night was that I was out of my homemade supply of chicken stock, something I can't live without anymore (p.s. chicken stock recipe coming soon!).  The rest of the meal was supplied by my garden and my husbands love for green bean casserole, one of his favorite Thanksgiving sides.  I had a ton of beans from the garden and was looking for some unique way to prepare them.  I had a can of cream of mushroom soup (probably from last Thanksgiving), and thought why not give it a go?  It was decidedly our favorite side dish of the evening.

Roast Chicken, 

with garden tomatoes, sugar glazed turnips and fresh green bean casserole

Green bean casserole:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Steam about 1/2lb of fresh green beans until tender. Mix with one can of cream of mushroom soup, 1/4 c. milk, 2t. soy sauce, pepper, and 1/2t. dry mustard.  Pour into a small gratin dish.  A mix of 3/4 c. panko breadcrumbs and 3T. melted butter goes on top.  Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until top is browned.

Roasted chicken:  

This beautiful roast chicken, was actually made in our handy dandy rotisserie oven.  To prep the bird made a quick herb butter mixing 3 T. of butter with chopped parsley, sage, and thyme.  Rub the butter underneath the skin of the bird. Next liberally salt and pepper  the inside and outside of the bird. You can also stuff the bird witt lemon, garlic and more herbs if you wish.  Place in a 350 degree oven or rotisserie for around 1 1/2 hours (about 20 minutes/pound), until an instant thermometer reads 160 degrees.  Lest rest for 20 minutes before carving.  Enjoy!

Sugar glazed turnips: 

Peel and cut 4 med-lg turnips into 1" chunks.  Toss with 1t. salt 1/2t. pepper, 1T. sugar and 1T. olive oil.  Put in a large sauté pan with 1c. of water and turn on med high heat with the lid on. Let steam until tender 10-12 minutes.  Remove lid and continue to cook for an additional 10-15 minutes or until water evaporates and turnips begin to brown. Enjoy!

Tomatoes:

These tomatoes really need no recipe, but they were to beautiful to leave out.  Basil, salt, pepper, and a drizzle of really good olive oil and these puppies are ready to enjoy!