Veggie Comfort

 I had a sick toddler on my hands and it was beginning to snow outside, bundling up the kiddo and heading to the store didn't sound very appealing.  Instead, I went shopping in my own pantry and devised a meal based on what I found.  The result was a butternut squash, chard, and barley casserole.  It was coated in a béchamel sauce and baked, but the veggies and barley alone would make an awesome side dish to any meal.  It is a such a luscious, earthy and hearty meal you won't miss the meat. There are more steps than I normally like to tackle on a weeknight, but you can make everything in advance and bake it off when you're ready. I decided to switch it up a little and added multiple pictures with explanations below each picture. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• olive oil
• 1 sm-med butternut squash, diced
• 1 small onion or 1/2 large onion
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• 1 bunch if chard chopped, stems removed and diced (rainbow or red)
• 1c. pearl barley
• 2c. chicken stock
• 1/4c. flour
• 4T. butter, divided
• 1/2c. parmesan, divided
• 2 c. milk (I used 2%)
• 1/2t. nutmeg
• 1/2c. bread crumbs
• salt and pepper

What I found in my panty/fridge

To start this meal, peel and cut the butternut squash into bite size chunks toss in olive oil salt and pepper and roast them at 400 for 20-30 minutes.

Meanwhile dice half a large onion, clove of garlic, and the stems of chard, add them into a nonstick skillet with 1T. of olive oil and salt and pepper, sautéing them until tender, about 10 minutes.

In a separate pan, (I used a sauce pan) add 2c. of chicken stock and 1/2c. of water and bring to a boil.  Add 1c. pearl barley and cook until tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.

Roasted Butternut Squash, Chard, Onions and Barley - delicious on it's own!

Once all the components are cooked (chard mixture, squash, and barley with it's cooking liquid) combine them all together and let simmer on low heat.

A creamy bechamel sauce to combine it all

 To make the béchamel, add 3 T. of butter with 1/4c. flour, and whisk under medium heat for about 1 minute.  Slowly whisk in about 2c. of milk and bring to a boil, whisking frequently.  Once boiling, turn off the heat and add 1/4c. grated parmesan and nutmeg.  Pour béchamel into barley, squash and chard mixture. Stir to combine and spoon into casserole dish.

 

Top with breadcrumbs and parmesan and bake until golden

For the topping use 1/4c. parmesan, 1T melted butter, and 1/2c. bread crumbs, mix together and place on top of the casserole.  Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes, or until top is golden brown.

 Yumoliciousness!

Scallop and Citrus Salad

It's amazing what a few beautifully seared scallops can do for a dish.  My orange, avocado and fennel salad gets a serious boost from this elegant mollusk.  Fancy enough for entertaining, light, bursting with flavor and all ready in less than 20 minutes. Now that's my kind of food!

For the *dressing:

2T. pomegranate molasses (if you can't find this, fresh orange or lemon juice will be delicious too )

4 T. olive oil

1t. agave nectar or honey

1t. Dijon mustard

1/2 t. ground ginger

1/2 t. ground fennel

salt/pepper

For the salad:

sea scallops - 3 per person

olive oil

salt/pepper

16 oz. mixed greens (I used a spring lettuce and spinach mix, but arugula would be fantastic too)

2 oranges, supremed (go here for a video on supreming citrus)

1 avocado diced into large chunks

1 fennel bulb halved, core removed and sliced thinly lengthwise

Mix all ingredients for the dressing in a mason jar (or any jar with a tight fitting lid) and shake it up to combine.  Season to your taste preferences and set aside. *NOTE there will be extra dressing, store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Pull scallops out of the fridge and let rest for 15-20 min at room temperature and season with salt and pepper (this step is important in browning the scallops).

Using a large bowl place a small amount of salad dressing in the bottom, about 2-3T. Add greens, oranges, avocado, and fennel to the bowl toss together, (your clean hands are the perfect utensil for this).  Everything should be lightly coated with dressing.  Mound salad on individual plates.

Using a nonstick skillet set heat to high and add 1T. olive oil.  When pan is hot add scallops, making sure not to crowd them.  Cook on the first side for 2-3 minutes and well browned. Flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes.  Place scallops on top of mixed salad and serve the extra salad dressing on the side

Old School, New Twist

Remember cracking open that big ol' can of Manwich sauce?  My challenge for the day was to make that same throwback flavor but keep it REAL, (high fructose corn syrup is the 2nd ingredient in the canned stuff, followed shortly by sugar and corn syrup) and bulk up the veggies in it.  On the side were roasted broccoli and parsnips.  If you haven't had roasted parsnips before I encourage you to try them, they are delicious (think zesty carrots)!  Please note that I literally did not measure a thing. I added, tasted, then added some more to suit my palette. It's fun to not always follow a recipe, give it a go and trust your tastebuds!  Enjoy this classic flavor makeover.

Ingredients:

4-6 parsnips
1 crown broccoli
2T. olive oil
salt/pepper

Heat oven to 425. Cut parsnips into about 2" lengths (shaped like small fries).  Toss in olive oil salt and pepper. Place on cookie sheet and roast for about 35-45 minutes.  Cut broccoli into florets and toss in olive oil.  Add to cookie sheet about 10-15 minutes before parsnips are done.  Toss occasionally.

2 lb. of ground meat - I used venison (we have plenty from my husbands hunting excursion)
2 carrots minced
1 onion minced
3 garlic cloves minced
1 red bell pepper minced
1 celery stalk minced
ketchup (probably used 3/4-1 cup)
worcestershire sauce (1T. about)
red wine vinegar (1-2T.)
franks red hot (4-5 dashes)
brown sugar (1T.)
dry mustard (1t.)
paprika (1. t)
water (1/4 c. to make it saucy)
cheddar cheese
hamburger buns

Heat a non stick large skillet and brown the ground meat, when cooked through, remove from pan and set aside, drain on paper towels if greasy.  Sauté all the veggies in a 1T. of olive oil until softened and add the meat back into the pan.  Next step, dump the flavorings, ketchup to water. Taste as you go.  Let simmer for 15 min.  Serve on hamburger buns and top with cheese if you please.

New Year, Fresh Start

Make everyday a day worth living, this my friends is my mantra for 2013.  It is so easy to go through the motions of life, work hard, check off your to do list, plan, execute, plan. It is becoming more and more apparent to me how short and unexpected life really is.  So this year I am making an effort to have fun, make meaningful connections, pay it forward, and love myself as much as I love my family.  Good food certainly has it's place in my new year of better life. To kick off 2013 with a bang I made roasted lobster tails, latkes, and black eyed pea salad. The lobster was luxurious, the latkes a family favorite and the salad added that extra bit of good luck (and tastiness!) we all could use when making a fresh start.  So here's to you and yours, have a happy new year.  

Ingredients:

Black eyed peas - 1 can rinsed and drained
1 mango diced
1 red bell pepper diced
1 jalepeno minced (leave seeds and ribs in for extra heat)
cilantro
3 scallions, minced
white wine vinegar - 1-2T
salt and pepper
agave 1-2 t.

Mix all the ingredients together and season with vinegar, salt, pepper and agave nectar to taste.

For the lobster, heat oven to 350.  Using kitchen shears cut down center of entire tail put in oven about 20 minutes or until flesh feels firm. Serve with clarified butter

The latkes are SIMPLE!  Follow Ina Garten's recipe and enjoy!

Elegant Dinner for a Special Occasion

My, oh my, Christmas dinner. Let's just say this one was a winner.  My husband proclaimed it to be the best pork chop he has ever ate, SCORE!  The twice baked sweet potatoes and the cauliflower gratin were delicious accompaniments.  I followed recipes for all these dishes and have the links listed below.  The pork was from 2 different recipes, the stuffing inside the pork from cooking light and the pork cut and technique were from Everyday food. This meal was a bit labor intensive but everything can be made in advance and baked later in the day, so it's perfect for entertaining.  If you have a special occasion on the horizon, this meal will have your guests and family drooling!

For the twice baked sweet potato recipe go here (I would advise to leave some of the sweet potato in with the skin so the skins don't collapse or tear on you)

The cauliflower gratin by Ina Garten was delish go here for the recipe

The stuffing and port sauce for the pork can be found here

The cutting method, temperatures and cut can be found  here (I cooked our pork until 143 degrees, turned out perfect. I also left the chine bone in, which was a mistake by the butcher, it didn't allow for the beautiful frenched bone to come off with the pork, but I think it kept the pork more moist)

All is Calm, All is bright

Ok, ok, so my Christmas Eve wasn't as calm and bright as I would have hoped. The dreaded stomach bug attacked me about 10 minutes before the long anticipated meal was set before my family.  I sat, attempted to be in denial about my future, and ate a few bites. I was in bed by 8:30.  The food, however, looked amazing and judging by the moans coming from my family I can only assume it was as enjoyable to eat as it was to look at.  On the side was garlic broccolini and smashed potatoes, but the real wow factor was the Pomegranate braised short ribs. I ripped the recipe directly from Everyday food Magazine and wouldn't change a thing, delicious...or so I 'm told.

Pomegranate Glazed Short Ribs

To get the recipe from Everyday Food go here

Chicken Soup, Southwestern Style

The holidays are over, and I am ready to share all of my recipes I made over the course of the past week.  First up is a beautiful and tasty southwestern inspired soup. I made this soup while my parents were in town visiting for Christmas.  We had just returned from viewing Christmas lights at the botanic gardens on a cold and breezy night, and this was the perfect remedy to warm us up.  I managed to make the soup mid-afternoon and reheated it upon our return.  My favorite part of the soup is the endless amount of toppings to pile on, and since it's healthy, why not have seconds?  I hope you enjoy it as much as my family did.

Ingredients:

1.5 lb. roasted chicken breast, shredded (roast your own, bone in skin on, 350 for 35-40 min. salt pepper and coat with olive oil OR buy a rotisserie chicken)

2 poblanos diced

1 fresno chili diced

1 Anaheim  chili diced

1 white onion diced

4 garlic cloves minced

1 can diced tomatoes

4-6 cups of chicken stock

1 can of white beans, drained and rinsed (such as navy or white kidney)

1T. of agave syrup

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

Swirl olive oil in bottom of a dutch oven or soup pot, on med/high heat.  Add all the peppers, onion and garlic season with salt and pepper and sauté until veggies are soft.  Add tomatoes and chicken stock (I added 4c. then add more later if it needs it) bring to a boil, simmer for about 15 minutes.  Pulse the soup with an immersion blender just until the soup is partially pureed (soup should still have some chunks of veggies), this allows the soup to thicken slightly, and allows for a great texture.  Add the chicken, beans and agave, let simmer for another 15 minutes.  Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.  Serve with lots of delicious toppings (ideas below).  Enjoy!

Topping suggestions:

lime wedges

queso fresco

jalepeno

avocado 

scallions

cilantro

tortilla chips

salsa verde