Salad with Mandarins and Fennel

This is the most beautiful and tasty salad.  We don't bother with any dressing since the mandarins are very juicy.

2-3 handfuls washed baby greens
1/4 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
2 mandarins, peeled and segmented (remove any seeds)
2 T. pistachios, roasted and salted
Crumbled feta

Toss and serve.  That's it!

Quick and Easy Marinara

This is a really quick and easy pasta sauce and I usually have all the ingredients on hand.  Tonight I was going to make a salad and some honey mustard chicken nuggets, but it's raining and I just didn't feel like having a salad.  I made marinara instead and will be serving it with store-bought ravioli.  Topping it with parmesan, of course!

2 T. olive oil
3/4 cup sweet yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. fennel seeds, crushed
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, seeds removed, minced (less if you don't like spicy)
2 t. dried Mexican oregano
2 t. tomato paste
1 can (15 oz.) fire roasted crushed tomatoes (I use Muir Glen brand)
1 can (28 oz.) San Marzano whole tomatoes, crushed by hand
About 1 cup water
Salt
Handful of fresh basil, chiffonade (cut into strips)

Heat oil and add onion.  Cook for about 5 minutes.  Add fennel seeds and chipotle and continue cooking another few minutes.  Add garlic and cook for another minute or so.  Add dried oregano.  Add the tomatoes, paste, and the water.  Season with salt.  Simmer for about an hour until you get a good consistency.  Taste and add more salt if necessary.  Add basil at the end of your cooking time.

Don't forget to top whatever you use the sauce for with parmesan!

Mushroom Risotto

This was heavenly goodness in a pan!  This takes time but is so worth it.

3 cups vegetable or chicken broth (I used homemade)

1 cup mushroom broth (from the dried porcinis)

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1-1/2 cup sweet yellow onion, diced, divided

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 pound (8 oz.) fresh mushrooms*, sliced

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

3 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped, divided

1 tablespoons butter

Salt and pepper 

½ ounce (.035 lbs.) dried porcini mushrooms

1 cup Arborio rice

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

Put the dried porcini mushrooms in a glass measuring cup.  Pour about 1-1/2 cups of boiling water over the mushrooms and let sit for 30 minutes.  Remove the mushrooms when they have rehydrated.  Strain the broth through a colander lined with a paper towel.  Reserve one cup of the mushroom liquid.

Heat the chicken broth and the mushroom liquid in a medium saucepan and keep warm over low heat.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add ¾ cup onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add 1 T. butter and the mushrooms.  Sauté for 5-7 minutes until lightly browned.  Season with salt and pepper (this is a must; mushrooms need salt). Add the garlic, thyme, and 1 T. Italian parsley.  Saute another 2 minutes.  Rough chop the reconstituted porcini mushrooms and add to the mushroom mixture.  Remove from heat and set aside. 

Coat a saucepan with remaining 1 tablespoon of oil.  Sauté the remaining ¾ cup onion for 4-5 minutes. Add the rice and stir quickly until it is well-coated and opaque, about 1 minute.  This step cooks the starchy coating and prevents the grains from sticking.  Stir in the wine and cook until it is nearly all evaporated.

Now, with a ladle, add about 3/4 cup of the warm broth and cook, stirring, until the rice has absorbed the liquid.  You should start at medium heat and then turn it down toward the end.  Add another ¾ cup broth and cook until liquid has absorbed, stirring often.  Keep doing this until all your broth is gone and the rice is cooked.  The risotto should be slightly firm and creamy, not mushy. Transfer the mushrooms to the rice mixture.  Stir in Parmesan cheese, cook briefly until melted.  Top with the remaining 2 T. parsley.  Total cooking time is between 30-40 minutes.

*I used a combination of white, baby bella, portabella, and shitake mushrooms.

Quinoa with Mandarin and Pistachios

Citrus is in season and the store is full of great oranges and mandarins.  I especially love the Neopolitan mandarins so I've been using them in salads and decided to make a new quinoa dish.  It turned out really good.  The pistachios and fennel add a really great flavor and crunch.  I have used both roasted and raw pistachios.  If you use raw, make sure you toast them in a dry skillet with a little salt.

1 cup quinoa

Zest of one mandarin

Juice of one lime

2 T. fresh orange juice

1 clove garlic, minced

1 t. cumin

½ t. coriander

1 t. honey

2 T. olive oil

½ cup pistachios, roughly chopped

½ fennel bulb, sliced thinly, or 1 T. lightly toasted fennel seed

3 mandarins, seedless and segmented

¼ cup red onion, finely diced

¼ cup feta, crumbled

¼ cup fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped

Salt to taste

Bring 2 cups water or broth to boil.  (I use water but add a teaspoon of Better than Bouillon to the boiling water).  Add quinoa and stir.  Cover and lower heat and cook until all of the water has absorbed, about 15 minutes.  Quinoa sprouts a little tail when it’s fully cooked.  Transfer the cooked quinoa to a baking sheet and spread out so that it cools.  You can also put it in a large bowl and just keep fluffing it with a fork until it cools.

In a small bowl, combine the mandarin zest, lime juice, orange juice, garlic, cumin, coriander, honey, and salt.  Whisk in the olive oil.

Combine the cooled quinoa, mandarin segments, onion, fennel, and pistachios.  Stir in the dressing mixture and the feta crumbles.  Season with salt and garnish with parsley or cilantro.

Pork Tenderloin with Herbs

1 pork tenderloin

Zest of one lemon

Juice of 2 lemons

1 T. garlic, minced

1 T. fresh rosemary, chopped

½ T. fresh thyme, chopped

1 t. Dijon mustard

1/3 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper

Combine the lemon zest, juice, garlic, herbs, and Dijon.  Whisk in the olive oil and season with salt.

Pour the marinade over the tenderloin and let sit for two hours (turning once) at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Remove the meat from the marinade.  Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper.  Over medium high heat, sear the meat on both sides until golden brown.  Transfer to a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, until internal temperature reaches about 140 degrees.  Remove, cover loosely with foil and let rest for 10 minutes.