Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Mustard Cream Sauce

Okay, so obviously this needs a better picture...next time!  They were so good.  How could you go wrong with bacon, cream, and mustard??

10-12 Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
2-3 slices thick bacon, diced
¼ cup heavy cream
1-2 T. whole grain mustard
Salt, to taste

Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crispy.  Remove and drain on paper towel.

In the same pan, put the Brussels sprouts cut side down and sauté until browned, about 8 minutes.  Turn over and continue cooking a few minutes.  Season with salt.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream and blend in the mustard.

Add the bacon and cream sauce to the Brussels sprouts and serve.

Chicken Piccata

This is one of my favorite chicken dishes.  It's so simple but so full of flavor.  It is traditionally made with chicken breast but I prefer boneless, skinless chicken thigh.  Way more flavor and juice.  I served it this time with mashed potatoes and peas.  Yummy!!

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Flour, for dredging (I use brown rice flour)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

3 T. fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup chicken stock

2 T. brined capers, rinsed

Fresh parsley or tarragon, chopped, for garnish

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt butter and oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add chicken and cook for about 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to a heated flat bowl.

Into the pan add the lemon juice, stock and capers. Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Return the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove chicken to the bowl. Add remaining butter to sauce and whisk vigorously. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.

 

Lamb Burgers with Tzatziki, Arugula and Red Onion

I found ground lamb at Albertson's the other day and figured, why not make lamb burgers.  They were so good and I made a great tzatziki sauce to go with them.  Yummy!!

12 oz. ground lamb (80/20 fat content)

¼ cup chopped red onion

1 clove garlic, minced

Pinch of red pepper flakes

1 T. fresh mint, chopped

1 T. fresh dill, chopped

1 t. dried oregano (or fresh if you have it)

1 t. fresh lemon zest

Sauté the onion in a little olive oil over medium heat, about 3-4 minutes.  Add the garlic and pepper flakes and sauté another minute or two.  Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl add all of the ingredients to the ground lamb and mix well by hand.  Form into two patties and refrigerate at least one hour.

Sprinkle burgers with salt and pepper.  Grill until cooked to medium, about 4 minutes each side.  Instant-read thermometer should read around 150°. 

Serve with red onion slices, arugula, and Tzatziki.

 

Tzatziki:

2 cups Greek yogurt (whole fat, unflavored)

Juice of one lemon (about 2 T.)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 English (hot house) cucumber, seeded and diced

1 T. kosher salt for salting cucumbers

1 T. finely chopped fresh dill

1 T. finely chopped fresh mint

Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Cut the ends off the cucumber and then cut in half.  Slice each half lengthwise.  Take a small spoon and scrape out the seeds.  Now cut each half lengthwise again and dice.  Put the diced cucumbers in a colander, sprinkle with salt, and let stand for at least 30 minutes to draw out water. Drain well and wipe dry with paper towel.

In food processor with steel blade, add cucumbers, garlic, lemon juice, dill, mint, and a few grinds of black pepper. Process until well blended.  Stir this mixture into the yogurt. Taste and add salt if necessary. Place in refrigerator for at least two hours before serving so flavors can blend.  Best made a day ahead.

Before serving, drain off any excess water and stir well. 

You can also buy tzatziki, which makes life a lot easier.

Ravioli with Spinach, Tomatoes and Pine Nuts

I like to buy ravioli at Costco and keep it in the freezer for quick and easy dinners.  This time they had ravioli with quinoa, kale, and butternut squash.  Mighty tasty!  Made a super easy and quick sauce that goes well with any flavor of ravioli.

14 oz. package of ravioli
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
5 oz. fresh baby spinach
1 clove garlic
2-3 T. pine nuts, toasted
2-3 T. fresh basil, chiffonade
Fresh grated parmesan

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the pasta and cook according to package directions.  While water is coming to a boil, make the sauce.

Heat a skillet and add a little olive oil.  Add the diced tomatoes and cook for a minute or two.  Add the garlic and spinach and cook for another minute.  Season with salt.  Add the pine nuts and basil. 

Remove the pasta with a slotted spoon and put directly into the sauce.  Add a little pasta water if necessary.  Top plated pasta with parmesan.

Farro with Asparagus and Peas

I roasted some asparagus and added peas and made a yummy farro salad.  Farro is wheat so if you can't do gluten, just substitute quinoa.  The farro is really nice though cause it's nutty and chewy.  The vinaigrette really made this salad taste fresh.  I'm serving this tonight with Copper River salmon.

1 cup farro
3 cups water
1 bunch (1 pound, more or less) asparagus
1 cup frozen petite peas
2 T. fresh chopped tarragon (or basil if you don't like tarragon)

Vinaigrette:

2 T. olive oil
1 T. white balsamic vinegar
Zest and juice of one lemon
1 t. Dijon mustard
1 t. honey
Salt, to taste

Rinse the farro well.  Combine farro and water in a medium pot.  Add a little salt.  Bring to boil and reduce heat and simmer for about 15-20 minutes, or until al dente.  Drain, if necessary.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Trim bottom 1/4th of asparagus.  Spread out on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake for about 6 minutes (less if you have very thin asparagus).  Cut into bite-sized pieces.

While the farro cooks, thaw the peas in a colander.  In a large bowl, combine the vinaigrette ingredients and whisk until well blended.

Add the farro, peas, asparagus, and tarragon to the vinaigrette and toss to combine.  Taste and season with salt, if necessary.

Sweet Potato Kale Gratin

1 bunch kale, coarsely chopped

3 sweet potatoes (about 2 lbs.), peeled
1 can (about 14 oz.) coconut milk, shake well to mix before opening
1 cup fresh grated parmesan
2 t. curry powder
1 t. cumin
1 t. coriander
1-2 T. butter, cut into tiny cubes

Heat some olive or coconut oil in a large skillet.  Add the kale and cook until soft, about 8 minutes.  Season with salt.

Thinly slice the sweet potatoes.  I cheat and run mine through the slicer in the food processor.  If you plan on using the food processor, make sure you buy skinny sweet potatoes so they fit.

In a bowl, whisk together the coconut milk and spices.

Coat a baking dish with cooking spray.  Layer half the sweet potato slices on the bottom.  Add the cooked kale and half the cheese.  Layer the rest of the potatoes and top with remaining cheese.  Pour the coconut milk over the top and press down to make sure everything is covered in the milk.  Top with the butter cubes.

Cover with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.  Uncover and continue cooking for 20 minutes, or until brown and bubbly.  Let rest 10-15 minutes before serving.

Dill Dijon Vinaigrette

This is my new favorite thing to put on salmon.  The vinaigrette is also great on roasted potatoes and asparagus. 
 

1 T. white balsamic vinegar

1 T. fresh lemon juice
2 T. olive oil
1 T. fresh dill, chopped
2 t. shallot, minced
½ t. Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients except oil.  Whisk in oil until well blended.

Southwestern Potato Salad

Thank you Bobby Flay for this amazing potato salad recipe!

3/4 cups mayonnaise
2 T. Dijon mustard
Juice of one lime
2 t. chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, seeded and finely minced
1 cup fresh tomato, diced
2 T. chopped cilantro leaves           
2 scallions, sliced, white and green parts
1/4 cup red onion, finely minced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 – 2.5 lbs. fingerling or red potatoes

Cut potatoes into bite-sized cubes (not too small!).  Boil potatoes in a large pot of salted water until fork tender.  Drain and arrange on a baking sheet in one layer so they cool slightly and don't keep cooking.

While potatoes are cooking, combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Put the warm potatoes into the bowl and mix well.  Season again with salt and pepper, if necessary.

Caprese

There is nothing better than fresh vine-ripened tomatoes.  Yesterday we escaped the heat and headed to the coast (where it was 30 degrees cooler!) and ended up in Cambria just in time for their Farmer's Market.  I bought beautiful red and yellow tomatoes and fresh basil.  Stopped off at Trader Joe's on the way home and picked up some fresh mozzarella so I could make Caprese.

Thick slices of tomatoes are topped with a little salt and then slices of fresh mozzarella.  Then drizzle with a little olive oil and some good balsamic vinegar.  Lastly, sprinkle on ribbons of fresh basil.  So good!

Sausage and Pepper "Risotto"

Okay, so it's not real risotto cause I didn't stand in front of the stove stirring and instead just cooked it all in my Dutch oven and then finished it in the oven.  A one pot wonder and yummy too. 
 

2 yellow or orange peppers, large diced

½ sweet yellow onion (about ¾ cup), small diced
3 links Italian sausages, casings removed

Olive oil                       

1 cup Arborio rice

½ cup dry white wine

2-1/2 cups low-sodium broth, heated

1 can diced tomatoes (14 oz.) with juices (I use Muir Glen fire-roasted)

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

½ cup fresh chopped basil

In a Dutch oven, sauté the sausage in a little olive oil until browned.  Don’t cook all the way through as it will continue cooking in the oven.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Remove sausage and add the peppers and onion and cook for about 5 minutes.  Season with salt.

Add the rice and stir for about 2-3 minutes.

Add the wine to deglaze the pan and cook until mostly evaporated.  Add the broth, tomatoes, and cooked sausage.  Cover and bring to a boil.

Put the covered pot into a preheated 450 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Remove and stir in the cheese and basil.

Stuffed Mushrooms

These stuffed mushrooms were delicious! 

1 link Italian sausage, casing removed
12 medium mushrooms (I used cremini)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup crumbled gorgonzola
Splash of white wine
2 T. grated Parmesan
1 T. fresh tarragon or other herb
Olive oil spray

Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp paper towel.  Remove the stems and set aside.  Using a small spoon, clean out any dark mushroom gills inside the mushroom.  This also makes more room for stuffing.  Be careful not to break the mushroom.  It's easier if you put the mushroom on a cutting board instead of holding it in your hand.

Chop the stems into small pieces.

Break up the sausage into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat.  After a couple of minutes, add the chopped up mushroom stems.  Continue cooking until sausage is cooked through.  Add the garlic and a splash of wine.  Cook until the wine is absorbed, about 2 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Add the gorgonzola and Parmesan cheeses, the Panko breadcrumbs, and the fresh tarragon.  Season with pepper.

Spray a baking pan with olive oil cooking spray (or brush with olive oil).  Put the mushroom caps on the sheet and fill with the stuffing mixture.  Lightly coat the stuffed mushrooms with the olive oil spray.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes until golden brown.

Potato Gnocchi with Gorgonzola Sauce

Gnocci is such a great alternative to wheat pasta.  I really want to make my own from scratch but I'll wait until I move into the new house and have a better kitchen.  I bought these at Trader Joe's and they're good, but a little too large.  I sauteed some mushrooms and tomatoes and finished the dish with a light gorgonzola sauce and some fresh tarragon.

Here are most of the needed ingredients:

The Sauce:
1-1/4 T. butter
1 T. flour
1 cup milk (I use skim)
6 oz. crumbled Gorgonzola
Pinch of nutmeg

In a small saucepan, melt the butter.  Add the flour and whisk for a minute or two.  Add the milk and whisk to combine.  Simmer sauce for 5-10 minutes until it starts to thicken.  Add the cheese and nutmeg and combine.  Keep warm.

The Gnocchi:
3 plum tomatoes, diced
8-10 medium sized cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 pound package of gnocchi
Fresh tarragon or other herb (about 1 T.)
Fresh grated Parmesan

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the gnocchi and cook just until they start to float to the top, about 2 minutes. 

Heat a saucepan over medium high heat and add a little olive oil.  Add mushrooms and saute for about 5 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and continue cooking another 2-3 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the gnocchi from the water and add it directly to the mushroom mixture.  Stir to combine.  Add about half of the gorgonzola sauce (or as much as you want).  Add the tarragon and spoon into serving bowls.  Top with fresh grated parmesan.

You will have more sauce than necessary.  I save it for gnocchi another night.

Enchiladas Verde with Kale, Fennel, and Beans

Since I bought kale and fennel at the Farmer's Market, I decided to make some veggie enchiladas.  I used verde sauce but a red enchilada sauce or even salsa would work too.  Paired it with a simple salad of greens and tomatoes (from the Farmer's Market, of course!) dressed with olive oil and a fig white balsamic vinegar (yeah, from F.M.).

8 small corn tortillas
1 bunch kale, chopped
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and sliced thin
1/2 sweet yellow onion, sliced thin
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 lemon
Cumin and coriander
Mexican cheese blend
Salsa verde mixed with Greek yogurt or crema

In a large skillet, heat olive oil and add fennel and onion.  Cook until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the kale and continue cooking another 5-10 minutes.  Season with salt, cumin, and coriander.  Add the pine nuts and the beans and cook until heated through.  Remove from heat and add lemon juice.  Let mixture cool.

If using salsa verde, heat it up and mix in a little yogurt or crema.  Salsa right out of a jar would be good with this too, I would think.  I'll have to do that next time.

In a dry skillet, heat the tortillas on each side.  Put a little salsa on the bottom of an 8"x8" baking pan.  Fill each tortilla with an 1/8th of the kale/bean mixture.  Roll them up and put them seam-side down in the dish.  Top with remaining salsa and sprinkle with cheese.

Bake at 375 degrees until cheese is melted and turning brown, about 20 minutes or so.

Any kind of veggies can be used.  I add the beans for protein.

Roasted Carrots

I am totally in love with the carrots I buy now at the Farmer's Markets here in California.  This is my favorite way to cook them:

Carrots
Olive Oil
Cumin
Cardamon
Kosher Salt

Coat the carrots with oil and sprinkle on spices and salt.  Cook on a foil-lined baking sheet for about 15-20 minutes (depending on size) at 400 degrees.  Enjoy!

Pappardelle with Asparagus and Leeks

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

3 T. unsalted butter

2 medium leeks (white and pale-green parts only), cut into thin half-moons and rinsed well

2 lemons, zested

3/4 pound (or one bunch) asparagus, trimmed and cut into thirds

8 oz. dried pappardelle or other flat egg noodle

¼ cup mascarpone cheese

½-3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

While bringing a large pot of salted water to a boil, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add leeks and asparagus and a pinch of salt; cook until leeks and asparagus begin to soften and are bright in color, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until very tender, about 5 more minutes. Turn off heat. Finely grate zest of lemons directly into skillet, and season generously with pepper, and salt, if necessary.

Add pasta to boiling water, and cook until just tender, about 4 minutes (do not drain water). Transfer pasta to skillet using a strainer.  Gradually stir in ½-3/4 cup pasta water, alternating with mascarpone and half the Parmesan and tossing until pasta is coated and sauce is creamy.

Top with remaining cheese.

Stuart's Favorite Breakfast

So, this is Stuart's favorite breakfast.  I was watching FoodTV like usual and Stuart saw Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, making some egg salad, smoked salmon sandwiches, and he decided that would be a great breakfast.  So, I made him some egg salad and we bought some English muffins and fresh dill.  I always have smoked salmon because my favorite breakfast is a pumpernickle bagel half with cream cheese, dill, and smoked salmon.  Nothing hard about this breakfast since my egg salad is nothing more than boiled eggs, a little mayo and a little Dijon mustard.  Toast the muffin, add the smoked salmon, top with egg salad, and finish with fresh dill.

How to Boil Eggs:

First, start with old eggs, never just-purchased ones.  If they are a week or so old, they will peel much easier.  Put room temperature eggs into a pot of water, cover and bring to a boil.  Once the water boils, turn the heat off and let the eggs sit for 15 minutes (I use extra large eggs so if you use large reduce time by about 3 minutes). Remove from the stove, drain, and rinse with cold water.  Add a large glass of ice and let eggs cool for about 10 minutes.  Then peel eggs and either chop for the egg salad or do what I do:  Put them in the food processor!  Add just enough mayonnaise to make eggs stick together (probably about 1/2 cup for about 6 eggs), and about 1 t. Dijon mustard.  That's it!!

Asian Chicken Burgers with Spicy Aioli

These are awesome burgers!  I make them with ground chicken thigh meat and add some Asian ingredients for great flavor.  This time I dressed the burgers with Spicy Aioli, arugula, tomatoes, and avocado.  Really yummy!!  The burgers will be very wet when you form them but they turn out great once cooked.  I don't grill them because they are just too lean.  Pan frying is best.
 
2-4 Hamburger buns (I use whole wheat Orowheat buns, toasted)
1+lbs. ground chicken thighs

1 cup panko

1 egg white
¼ cup chopped green onion (about 3-4)

2 T. mayonnaise
1-1/2 T. green curry paste
1 T. toasted/dark sesame oil
1 T. low sodium soy sauce
2 t. Sriracha

In a large bowl, mix together the chicken, panko, egg white, and green onions.

In a small bowl, mix remaining ingredients.  Add to the chicken and mix together lightly.

Form into four patties and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.  Freeze or refrigerate remaining two patties if only making two burgers.
 

Heat oil in large pan and sauté each side 3-4 minutes, or until done.

Serve with tomato and arugula, thin avocado slices, and Spicy Aioli.
 
Spicy Aioli:

1 cup mayonnaise

1 T. Sriracha (less if you don’t like spicy)
1/2 t. smoked paprika
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lime, zested and juiced
Kosher salt   

Seared Scallops with Herbs and Orzo

There's only one thing you have to remember about cooking scallops:  Don't overcook them!  Depending on size they only need 2-3 minutes on one side and another minute on the other side.  Use a good high-heat oil like grapeseed so you can get the pan nice and hot and get that pretty sear on the scallops.

For 2 servings:
 

3/4 cup uncooked orzo (I use tri-colored)

2 T. chopped fresh dill, divided
2 T. chopped fresh chives divided
2 t. extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and ground pepper
5-6 large sea scallops
1-2 T. grape seed oil                  
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 T. finely chopped shallots
1 T. white wine or champagne vinegar
2 T. chilled butter
1 t. chopped fresh thyme or pinch of dried thyme

Cook orzo in a pot of salted water until al dente (about 6-8 minutes).  Drain and add olive oil, 1 T. dill, 1 T. chives, salt and pepper.

Combine wine, shallots, and vinegar in a saucepan; bring to a boil.  Continue cooking for about 5 minutes.  Reduce heat to low. Add butter cubes, 1 at a time, whisking after each addition until butter is fully incorporated. Stir in 1 tablespoon dill, 1 tablespoon chives, 1 teaspoon thyme, and a little salt.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and add grape seed oil.  Dry the scallops with a paper towel.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides.  Add scallops to pan; cook 2-3 minutes or until browned.  Flip and cook another minute.

Spoon the orzo onto plates, top with scallops, and then pour the reduced wine/herb sauce on top.

I like to serve this with sautéed baby spinach and kale.

 

Asian Couscous

Still on my couscous kick so this time I made it with an Asian flair.  Served it with fish sammies topped with seaweed salad...yummy!!  You can use any vegetable combination and you can substitute baby spinach or arugula for the microgreens, if you can't find them.

1 cup Israeli couscous
2 cups water
6 oz. sugar snap peas
1 large carrot, shredded
1 box (about 2 oz.) microgreens (any type works...I used Asian)

2 T. rice vinegar
1 T. soy sauce
1 t. minced or grated ginger root
1 t. minced garlic
2 t. toasted (dark) sesame oil
1 t. fish sauce
juice of 1/2 lemon
2-3 T. olive or grapeseed oil

Bring the water to a boil and add the couscous.  Simmer for about 8 minutes.  Drain the couscous, rinse well, and drain again.

Put the sugar snap peas in a microwave-safe container and nuke for about 1 minute. 

Put the couscous in a large bowl and add the peas, carrot, and microgreens.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine.  Add to the couscous and combine.  Season with salt, if necessary.  Refrigerate for a few hours to allow flavors to blend.