Roasted Potato Salad with Cilantro Pesto

Oh yum.  There is a plethora of ingredients in this and THAT is what makes it taste soooo good.  We used the leftovers this morning to make hashbrowns.  Double yum.

Thank you Food Done Light.

2 1/2 lbs. yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

3/4 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced onion
2 mangoes, peeled and diced

For the Cilantro Pesto:
3/4 cup chopped cilantro (pack the measuring cup)
1/4 cup chopped mint (pack the measuring cup)
1/2 to 1 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed, minced
1 tsp. grated ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
Juice of 1/2 lime
2 tbsp. water
2 tbsp. olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 425º.
2. Place potatoes on a large baking sheet and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until browned and fork tender.
3. For the pesto:  In a food processor, add cilantro and next 10 ingredients (through water) and pulse until finely minced.  With the food processor running, stream in the olive oil through the spout.  Refrigerate until needed.
4. In a large bowl, mix cooked potatoes, celery, onion and mangoes.  Toss with cilantro pesto.

Granola

So I've tried making a few different granola recipes. So far this is my favorite. I adapted it from Smitten Kitchen.

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup sliced almonds (1 oz)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup green (hulled) pumpkin seeds, sometimes called pepitas (1 1/2 oz; not roasted)
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup mild honey
Healthy shake cinnamon
Pinch salt (flaky sea salt preferred)

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Stir together all ingredients. Spread mixture evenly on a large (17-by 12-inch) shallow baking pan lined with a silpat and bake, stirring occasionally, until golden brown for 15 minutes.

Here is the secret ... Check it every 3-5 minutes after that. It burns really quickly. Transfer granola, in pan, to rack to cool stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Granola keeps, frozen (the fruit’s moisture softens granola if not kept frozen) in an airtight container, a few months.

Spinach Sauteed with Garlic and Shallots

I needed a side dish for our BBQ tonight and since we had a birthday party today with lots of pizza and cake and ice cream, we needed some healthy sides. I looked in my freezer hoping to find some petite peas, and found only a lonely box of frozen spinach. I'm not a big fan of frozen veggies or canned veggies for that matter. But, I had only frozen spinach and found this recipe to make it wonderful. Thank you Fearless Kitchen. We ate all of it! And I had three servings.

Spinach Sauteed with Garlic and Shallots

1 bag frozen spinach, slightly thawed

2 shallots, thinly sliced

1 head garlic, peeled and thinly sliced to form garlic chips

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons ground cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 cup water

1. Heat the oil and add the shallots. Saute until the shallots soften.
2. Push the shallots to the sides of the pan and add the garlic to the middle. Reduce heat to medium and cook until the garlic begins to turn golden and fragrant. Don't burn the garlic.
3. Add the salt and spices.
4. Add the frozen spinach. Let it steam up for a minute or so and give a good stir, so that the spinach is liberally distributed with the spices and aromatics.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the water. Clamp the lid down and cook 5 minutes or so, until done.
   

White Beans and Spicy Swiss Chard

Okay this turned out really good! I was inspired by a dear friend of mine over at Cafe Johnsonia when I read this recipe. However, I didn't have chicken. And I wasn't about to make my own beans when I had 30 minutes to whip together dinner while my kids were taking baths.

So I took what I liked and modified the rest. And what I came up with was pretty tasty if I do say so myself. I had one kid eat his entire portion. The other had a very sore arm and decided falling asleep on my lap was a much better idea than eating dinner. And the last, well he's three, so we don't expect much yet.

Ingredients

6 slices of bacon (and the grease for flavor if you'd like)
1/4 cup of white wine
1/2 onion
3-4 cloves of garlic minced
1 can of cannellini beans
1 can of tomatoes diced
red pepper flakes (a couple shakes)
1 bunch of swiss chard (stems removed)
chicken stock

Cook the bacon and then remove the slices and chop into small pieces. Pour the excess fat into a bowl and and add later at the end if you want more bacon flavor.

Pour the wine into the pot to deglaze the pan. Sautee the onions for 5-10 minutes. Add garlic.

Dump in beans and tomatoes. Throw in the red pepper to kick up the spice. About now is when I start adding a little chicken stock as the juices evaporate. Add the chard about 5 -8 minutes before you are reading to serve the dish.

Kale and Cashews

Okay so I forgot to change my Organic Delivery Box that comes from Farm Fresh To You. So this week I was given two bunches of Kale. I had to cook at least one bunch. So I did tonight. This was the most eclectic dinner I think I've ever made. I just had a lot of foods that I needed to use. So I baked my 7 tiny new potatoes, baked 3 small spicy sweet potatoes, thawed out my tamales from Christmas, and sauteed Kale. None of that blends together at all. But I had to use them or lose them.

This recipe for Kale won for the night. I had three helpings and my husband had two. I just looked at about half a dozen recipes and made my own. I'll make it again b/c it's very simple.

Ingredients
1/4 -ish of toasted cashews
1 onion diced
1 bunch kale
1-2 tbs lemon juice
red pepper flakes

Toast the cashews in the pan until you can start to smell them. A little brown is okay. Remove them and set them aside.

Saute the onion for about 10 minutes. Add the kale. Chop it up good. It's easier for the kids to get down when the bites aren't that intimidating. Saute for about 10-15 min more.

Add the lemon juice and red pepper flakes and viola!

Belgian Endive stuffed with Apples, Goat Cheese & Walnuts

This was part of the Teacher Luncheon we hosted last week. Tasty. I could eat this often.

Ingredients

4-8 firm heads of Belgian Endive
2 Apples cored
4 oz plain Chevre log crumbled (goat cheese)
3 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs Orange Zest
1 Tbs fresh Orange Juice
2 Green Onions, finely sliced, included tops
1/2 cup Walnuts toasted and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
Black Pepper

Balsamic Dressing for drizzling

Rinse and dry endives. Trip the bottom (root end) to separate leaves. Set aside. Toss diced apples, goat cheese and olive oil and orange juice. Add green onions, nuts, cranberries, salt and pepper. Stir gently.

Place a small spoonful on the endive leaf. I've forgotten every time I've made this to drizzle the balsamic vinegar on top. And I've loved it that way. One day I'll drizzle it on top and love it that way too.

Brussel Sprouts with Pine Nuts

Thank you Trader Joe's sample station again. These were delicious. My 3 year old devoured these faster than his spaghetti.

brussel sprouts
1/4 cup pine nuts (toasted) (or slivered almonds toasted)
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
4 tbsp olive oil (or grape seed oil)
2 Tbs Pomegranate juice (or cranberry juice)
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Cut brussel sprouts in thirds. Saute in oil and juice. Toss with nuts and seeds.

Onion Strings

Well I have found a new favorite side. Holy cow these are tasty. Soooo tasty, that I am doing all that I can NOT to eat more while they all sit boiling hot on the table and I sit here waiting for my husband to get home with my monkeys so we can all eat them together. I am posting this BEFORE I even eat all of them. So yes go ahead and plan it in your menu. And I cut it straight from The Pioneer Woman. Her verbage at the bottom of the instructions is ooooh so true. I just wish I had another onion so that I actually could eat the entire first batch.

1 whole Large Onion
2 cups Buttermilk
2 cups All-purpose Flour
1 Tablespoon (scant) Salt
¼ teaspoons (to 1/2 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
1 quart (to 2 Quarts) Canola Oil
Black Pepper To Taste

Slice onion very thin. Place in a baking dish and cover with buttermilk. Soak at least an hour.
Combine dry ingredients and set aside.
Heat oil.
Grab a handful of onions, throw into the flour mixture, tap to shake off excess, and PLUNGE into hot oil. Fry for a few minutes and remove as soon as golden brown.
Repeat until onions are gone.
Eat before your family sees them.
Repeat with another onion, because they’ll be really mad they didn’t get any.

Salsa

1/3 cup of chopped onions
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
4 tomatoes
2 Tbs canola oil
1 Tbs vinegar
1 Tbs lemon
1 garlic minced
salt and pepper
2 Tbs Tabasco

Lupita's Green Salsa

Christmas Eve Lupita taught me how to make tamales. I need to do it again to remember the tricks. Buuuut I remember the Green Salsa she taught me how to make. This is Delicious.

6 Tomatillos (golf ball sized)
1 bunch of cilantro
3-4 jalapenos
2-4 garlic cloves
1/4 onion
2 avocados

This is the best part ... remove the peels on everything and stick it aaaaall in the blender! Add a little water a tablespoon or two at a time until it gets a little liquidy.

My Mashed Potatoes

You know it's one of those staples ... well here is what I tried tonight that worked well for me.

peeled potatoes
whole garlic
salt
cream

Roast a whole head of garlic in the oven for 45 minutes at 350/400. Afterwards the peel comes off easily. Dump into the room temperature cream and mash in boiled potatoes. Add some good kosher salt and voila ...

Beet & Goat Cheese Napoleons with Candied Walnuts

Charlie and I went to a faaaaabulous couples cooking class at Sur La Table. This was our favorite find!

4 trimmed medium red beets
1 Tbs cider vinegar
1tsp lemon zest
2 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
2 Tbs walnut oil
2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil

2 4 oz logs of fresh goat cheese
1-2 Tbs cream
salt and pepper
2 cups mixed baby greens (preferably spicy)
coarse sea salt (such as Maldon)
1 cup candied walnuts (recipe below)

heart shape cookie cutter (if you have time)

Cook beets. Measure all ingredients except oils into a small bowl. While whisking, drizzle in the oils until an emulsion forms.

Once the beets have cooled, remove the skins and slice crosswise into 18 1/4 inch thick rounds. Use the cookie cutter to cut slices into hearts. Gently toss the beet hearts with 2 Tbs of vinaigrette and set aside.

Blend the goat cheese, cream, salt and pepper. Put in a plastic bag and squeeze in between the beet hearts. Oooooor, just crumble goat cheese pieces in between chopped beets.

Toss the greens with the vinaigrette. Place greens next to heart/goat cheese napoleons. Garnish with Candied Walnuts.

CANDIED WALNUTS
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 Tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of cayenne
1 large egg white, at room temp
1/2 pound walnut pieces

Heat oven to 300 degrees. In a small bowl mix both sugars with the salt, cinnamon, and cayenne. In a large bowl whisk the egg white until frothy. Whisk in 1 Tbs of water until combined. Add the walnuts and stir to coat. Sprinkle on the sugar mix and stir to evenly distribute.

Line a baking pan with a silpat. Spread the nuts in a single layer. Bake for 10 minutes and then stir the nuts. Continue baking until the nuts smell toasted and the sugar coating is caramelized (about another 10 minutes).

Let the nuts cool on the pan, separating them as they cool. Transfer to air tight container (if not used immediately.)

Risotto in a Lemon Cup

Okay so I only used the Lemon Cups for my Gourmet Club in NYC. No I don't make them for just my family. Buuuut they sure looked cool didn't they? This is one of my faaaavorite desserts ... I mean ... side dishes.

Risotto in a Lemon Cup

1 shallot minced
1 rib celery, chopped fine
2 T. unsalted butter
1 T olive oil
1 1/3 cups risotto rice, preferably Arborio

1⁄2 cup white wine
Approximately 1 quart chicken stock
1/2 unwaxed lemon, zested and juiced
1 Tbs. Rosemary, chopped up
1 egg yolk
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan, plus more, for garnish
1/3 cup mascarpone
Pepper
Salt, to taste

Put the shallots and celery into a mini food processor and blitz until they are finely chopped or cut up finely by hand. Heat the butter, the oil and the shallot and celery mixture in a wide saucepan, and cook to soften the mixture for about 5 minutes, making sure it doesn't stick. Mix in the rice, stirring to give it a good coating of oil and butter. Add wine until and stir until evaporated. Meanwhile, heat the stock in another saucepan and keep it at the simmering point.

Put a ladleful of the stock into the rice and keep stirring until the stock is absorbed. Then add another ladleful and stir again. Continue doing this until the rice is al dente. You may not need all of the stock, equally, you may need to add hot water from the kettle.

Mix the lemon zest and the rosemary into the risotto, and in a small bowl beat the egg yolk, lemon juice, Parmesan, cream and pepper.

When the risotto is ready - when the rice is no longer chalky, but still has some bite - take it off the heat and add the bowl of eggy, lemony mixture, and salt, to taste. Serve with more Parmesan if you wish.

Potato and Cauliflower Casserole

Weeeeell, my husband wanted Steak and Potatoes tonight. And we recently watched Food Inc. This was sort of the nail in the coffin after other books and movies we've read/seen about the food industry. Sooooo we bought Organic grass-fed cow tonight. The last steak I bought on New Year's Eve was on sale for $1.49 per pound. This was $14.99 per pound. Ouch. Buuuut, it was delicious. A few years ago I tried wild-Salmon and now I have a hard time swallowing farm-raised. Soooo, is this the end of us eating beef most nights out of the week? And the end of our cheap beef love-affair? Time will tell. (I will also add that after we visited the Temple this week we did stop off at McDonald's for a reminder taste of our "Naive" to the food industry days, when we used to stop off there every Thursday night after working at the Temple 9 years ago.

So to embellish our new love of grass-fed cow, I cooked up my ginormous cauliflower that came in my locally-grown organic vegetable delivery. Thanks to Abundant Harvest, I found a new casserole recipe that well, at least the adults enjoyed (my daughter enjoyed it, and the other were alriiiight with it.) I'll be making this again soon ... since I still have 2 heads worth of cauliflower left on my one ginormous head.

POTATO and CAULIFLOWER CASSEROLE

2 large potatoes, peeled and quartered
3 Tbsp better
1 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste

1 head of cauliflower (or one quarter in my case)
3 tbsp flour
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese (but the good stuff)

Lightly grease a medium casserole dish and preheat the oven to 450. Boil potatoes until tender but still firm. Drain and set aside. Place cauliflower in a steamer basket and steam for 5 minutes.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Gradually stir in the heavy cream until thickened. Remove from heat and mix in 1/2 cup swiss cheese until melted. Season with salt and pepper.

Arrange potatoes and cauliflower in dish. Pour cream sauce over veggies and sprinkle with remaining Swiss cheese. Bake 20 minutes until it gets bubbly and lightly browned. The brown stuff is the gooooooood stuff.

Short Cut Collard Greens

Oh My Goodness. I LOVE collard greens ... when they are prepared this way. Thanks to Abundant Harvest again.

Short Cut Collard Greens

• 1 bunch collard greens
• 1 Tbsp water
• 2 slices Canadian bacon or Adele's gruyere & garlic sausage
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• ¾ cup chicken broth
• 1/8 tsp hot red pepper flakes
• Salt to taste
  

Remove the stems and center ribs from the collard greens and discard. Cut the leaves into ½ inch strips. Place the greens into a large bowl with water and cover tightly. Microwave on high for 5 minutes, or boil on stovetop. Preheat a large skillet and cook the bacon to desired doneness. Remove the bacon from the pan, chop and set aside. Add the oil and onion to the pan and cook until onions have softened. Add the collard greens and stir in the vinegar, maple syrup, broth and red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered for 30 minutes. Add the chopped bacon to the pan, and season with salt.

Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Lime & Cilantro

A GREAT new twist on the sweet potato side dish. Just don't forget that you should NEVER put them in the blender. I knew better. Blending them releases all the starches and gives you potato glue which makes you gag with the consistency.

This recipe came from Abundant Harvest. This is my new organic weekly vegetable shipment. Love it!

Grilled Sweet Potatoes with Lime and Cilantro

• 3 sweet potatoes or yams, unpeeled
• Kosher salt
• 2 tsp finely grated lime zest
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• Freshly ground pepper
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Par-cook the potatoes by placing them in a pot of water and boiling until fork tender. Mix 1 Tbsp salt, the lime zest and cayenne in a small bowl. Transfer to a bowl, immediately season with the salt mixture and sprinkle with cilantro.

Saffron Rissoto

I have fallen in LOVE with Rissoto. My gourmet buddy Liz introduced me to the fine art of Rissoto a year ago and I learned it's actually fun to make and not as intimidating as it should be. It needs love. So while you're fixing your salad or preparing your side dish, just go back and stir the risotto often. If you love it, it will love you.

This recipe I just found from an email from Self.com, in my quest to get more healthy. We enjoyed it tonight and it was delicious! I'm convinced that pretty much anything cooked with wine is a fabulous. I added some marscapone cheese as well. Mmmm.

Ingredients

• 28 oz chicken stock
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1 cup white wine
• Large pinch of saffron
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus shavings for garnish (optional)

Preparation

Bring stock to a low simmer in a medium pot. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat for 1 minute. Cook onion until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add rice and a pinch of salt. Sauté until rice is translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine and saffron; bring to a simmer, stirring, until rice has absorbed most of wine. Add 2 ladles of stock to rice; simmer, stirring, until rice has absorbed most of stock. Continue adding stock, allowing rice to absorb it before adding the next ladleful. Cook until rice is al dente and mixture is a little loose. Stir in butter. Turn off heat. Stir in grated cheese. Cover and let sit 2 minutes. Divide among 4 bowls. Garnish each with cheese shavings, if desired.

Cabbage and Corn Slaw with a Cilantro Orange Dressing

Yep. That's exactly what I thought when I saw this picture the first time on Epicurious. "A slaw that I might actually enjoy!" The citrus dressing instead of a typical mayo-based dressing is very refreshing. And it is more healthy too! I highly recommend cutting the corn straight off the cob. The canned corn is just okay in comparison.

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1/3 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/3 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1/3 cup canola oil or vegetable oil
2 (8-ounce) bags coleslaw mix
4 ears of fresh corn, shucked, kernels cut from cob
2 medium carrots, peeled, coarsely grated
1 medium red bell pepper, stemmed, cored, cut into thin strips
6 medium green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Whisk orange juice concentrate, rice vinegar, and canola oil in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD Dressing can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

Combine slaw mix, corn kernels, carrots, red bell pepper strips, sliced green onions, and chopped cilantro in large bowl. Toss with enough dressing to coat. Season slaw to taste with salt and pepper. Let stand 15 minutes for flavors to blend. Toss again and serve.