Beet Salad with Figs

My sister loves beets.  I didn't believe how good she swears they are, mostly because my only experience of them was with canned ones that had that tinny taste, until I was forced to cook the ones that came in the CSA box last summer.  Both my husband and I love them now.  I usually roast them, peel away the skin, and serve them sliced with a little salt and pepper.

While on vacation in Oregon, our favorite restaurant during the trip served this beet salad that just about everyone except us ordered, so I took that as a cue to see if I could also make my own version.  I happened to sample this white cheddar goat cheese (or is it goat's milk white cheddar cheese?) at the farmer's market last weekend and thought it'd go well with the beets.  The flavor is pungent with a smooth texture, like blue cheese or Gorgonzola, and is the perfect contrast from the sweetness of the balsamic fig reduction.  I made this twice within a week, the first time without the figs.  The following should make 4-6 servings, depending on portion size.

0.02 lb (~1/3 cup?) white cheddar goat cheese, cubed/crumbled
1 bag spring mix salad
1 large or 2 med beets
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
4 large figs, sliced into 8ths
1/4 cup chopped pecans

For the beets, I find it better to cook it earlier or the day before so that it has enough time to cool.  Coat the beets with cooking oil and roast in the oven at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes.  Once cool to the touch, the skin should peel easily enough.  Slice into 1/8 inch rounds, then quarter.

Pour the olive oil into a large mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper.  In a small sauce pan, cook the figs in the balsamic vinegar until the figs have wilted down.  Remove the figs and set aside.  Whisk the balsamic vinegar into the olive oil until thoroughly incorporated.  Toss the spring mix in the mixture so that all the leaves are coated.  Plate the greens and evenly divide the beets, pecans, cheese, and figs on top.

I used figs since they were what I had (got them from my parents' garden).  Any seasonal or dried fruit would work.  It's a hit in our household, and hopefully yours.

Teriyaki Pork Loins

Another quick and easy protein fix is these teriyaki pork loins.  I suppose you can also do the same with some other protein like chicken, beef or fish, and since we had a bunch of these Costco pork loins that I portioned up in the Food Saver and froze, that's what I went with.  They were easily defrosted in a bowl with running cold water, like with fish.  The loins were on the thick side so I cut them in half into thinner pieces.  Coat in your favorite teriyaki sauce (mine is Yoshida's) and marinate for about 30 minutes.  Bake in a 325 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes, turning the loins over once halfway through.

On the side were braised kale and Chinese squash.  For the kale, I made a mixture of 1:3 parts soy sauce to water, oil and minced garlic, added it to a pan on high heat, then braised the kale for about 20 minutes, which was about the amount of time that it takes to cook the pork.  I cooked the Chinese squash like I would zucchini, which was to cut it in half lengthwise then into slices then saute it until soft.  According to my dad, the skin contains a lot of vitamins so I left it on, so it's important to add water to help it cook down.

Miso Salmon

One really easy and very tasty way to prepare salmon is to coat it with miso paste when I need a quick dinner fix.  I use the frozen fillets from Costco, but fresh is always better.  You can defrost them in about 20 minutes under cold running water, which is very convenient when you need a last-minute protein and have them on hand in the freezer.  I prefer cutting the fillets into half to decrease cooking time and portion size.

Use about 2 tablespoons of miso paste and about a tablespoon of soy sauce for 2 fillets.  Mix the miso paste and soy sauce together, then coat the fish on both sides.  Use cooking spray on a sheet of aluminum foil and seal the fish up in it.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes, then remove and let it sit while sealed for about another 5 minutes.  The salmon should be just cooked through enough but not overdone, so it's still soft and moist, not tough or dry.  Watch out, because overcooking is easy to do.  Top with some fresh green onion or whatever herb you prefer.  It's so simple and so delicious.

Mama Mia's Macaroni Salad

We're having our July 4th celebration tomorrow and needed a pasta salad recipe to go with the rest of the meal.  I remembered this one from a recent episode of Diner's, Drive-Ins & Dives and its visit to this place in Louisiana called The Shed.  Here's the actual recipe: Mama Mia's Macaroni Salad, and the run-down also if you don't want to click over to the other site.

• 2 cups uncooked shell pasta
• 1 cup mayo (used about 3/4)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/8 cup cider vinegar
• 1/8 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 bell pepper
• 1/2 red onion
• 1/4 cup shredded cheese

Cook the pasta according to the instructions, drain, and set it aside to cool to room temperature.  Mix together in a bowl all of the ingredients except for the bell pepper, onion, and cheese.  Mix the sauce with the pasta.  Add in the chopped bell pepper, onion, and cheddar cheese.  Refrigerate until cold.  Serves 4.

I don't know how close this is to the actual restaurant recipe, nor have I tasted the actual dish, but it sounded good all the same.  There are three substitutions in my version: edamame (soy) beans instead of peas (not a fan of frozen peas; plus, soy beans have a lot of protein), mayo made from olive oil (more of a preference than substitution), and Greek yogurt instead of sour cream (less fat and fewer calories). So far, the flavors are a bit on the tart side, so maybe they will mellow out after some refrigeration.

Update 7/4/2011
The flavors did rounded out the next day and the dish was a hit.  I prefer mine with a sprinkle of smoked paprika.  Enjoy!

Turkey Chili

This is what I would consider my best version of chili to date.  There wasn't any particular recipe to follow...just threw things together (we just got our CSA box over the weekend) and they all somehow worked.  I'm getting this all down now while it's still fresh in my head to help me remember how to recreate this later.

• about 1 to 1.25 lb ground turkey
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper
• 2 sweet peppers
• 1 ear corn
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
• 2 cans tomato paste (1 more can if you don't use the marinara)
• 1/2 jar Mario Batali's marinara sauce (making use of leftovers)
• 3-4 tsp cumin powder
• 2 tsp ancho chili powder
• 2 tsp smoked paprika powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp smoked bacon sea salt
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper powder

First, brown the ground turkey in 1 tbsp of the extra virgin olive oil in a deep pot.  Remove the meat and set aside.  There was a good amount of juice from the meat, which I drained but should have kept (something I'll do differently next time).  Heat the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil in the pot then add the onion, peppers, and mushrooms, sauteing until the onion is translucent.  Return the browned meat to the pot.  Mix in the spices then the marinara sauce and tomato paste.  This mixture can be a bit thick so add water in 1/2 cup increments to your liking.  The corn was added at the end as a bit of an afterthought, giving it a nice crunch and contrast from the rest of the ingredients.

This version is a little on the sweet side, reminiscent of sloppy Joe but not completely since it doesn't have the vinegary barbecue aspects.  We had this over small baked potatoes.  Now, if I only had the foresight to make cornbread...perhaps later this week when we have the leftovers, plus a dollop of Greek yogurt as a sour cream substitute.  Yummm...

Update 7/4/2011
Peel and cube (about 1/2 inch each) 1 Russet potato after adding the tomato paste to add another starch component.  The chili's ready once the potatoes are cooked all the way through.  It's SO good this way.

Vegetable Curry & the CSA Box

 We belong to a CSA and have a box delivered to our house once a month.  In the past, our boxes had a general mix of fruits and vegetables, but we switched over to veggies only during the past couple of months.  Here is what's in this month's box: bell peppers, cilantro, small potatoes, zucchini, cucumber, broccoli, cauliflower, artichokes, fava beans. With such a varied mix, I thought some of the lot would go great in a curry sauce.

I ended up using 2 bell peppers, 9 small potatoes, carrots from the last box and from the garden, half a bunch of cilantro, and half of the cauliflower.  They were all chopped up into bite-sized pieces.  The carrots and bell peppers were first sauteed in about 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil for about 5 minutes before adding the potatoes and cauliflower and covering with water.  Bring the water to a boil then melt 2 store-bought Japanese golden curry blocks.  Add the cilantro then bring the heat down and simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until the sauce thickens and the cauliflower and potatoes are soft, stirring occasionally.

I poured the curry dish over a brown rice and quinoa mixture (which, by the way, is a genius idea if you're not a big fan of quinoa but want to get its nutritional benefits) alongside store-bought beef tritip (from Handy Market's Saturday bbq).  It's all very tasty.  We have enough leftovers for another meal, which means I'm off the hook from cooking for one night.  Can't wait to have it again!  Now, what to do with those fava beans?!

More Savory "Cupcakes"

I had some leftover ingredients from the lasagna cupcakes and wanted to use them up, so I came up with two new cupcakes that we can eat throughout the week. For these, I reduced the heat down to 300 and baked for 30 minutes, which probably wasn't necessary.

Breakfast Cupcakes
This one's like a baked omelet. Line the bottom of each cupcake slot with the gyoza wrapper (after spraying with cooking oil). Layer 6 slots with the spinach and sausage. Beat 4 eggs in a measuring cup and pour over those 6 layers. *I'd add some milk to the egg mixture next time so that it's not so dry.

Pesto Shrimp & Egg Noodles (cupcake version of Linguine & Eggs)
Cook noodles according to package instructions (I used Japanese somen), drain and toss in about 2-3 tablespoons of prepared pesto sauce and shredded Parmesan. Beat 3 eggs, and stir some chopped spinach and more pesto sauce to it. Cut 6-7 large shrimp into bite-size pieces (thirds or quarters) and saute with garlic until pink.

Fill the remaining 6 cupcakes about halfway with the pesto noodles, then pour the egg and spinach mixture over it. Top with the cooked shrimp and sprinkles of Parmesan.

These did not need the gyoza skin because the eggs helped bind the ingredients together and hold the shape, but I needed to use them up and they didn't make a difference on the overall taste. I would add more pesto into the noodles next time for more flavor and saltiness, especially since I didn't add salt to any of these...figured the pesto and Parmesan had enough in them. My solution is to top them off with a little pesto when reheating. Also, I'd toss LOTS of sauteed garlic directly into the noodles...no explanation needed. What matters most is that Ken finds them tasty, which he does. Four (2 lasagna, 2 shrimp) seems to be enough for a hungry man.

Lasagna Cupcakes!

I got the idea to make these from another blog. The genius of these cupcakes is that they're portable and easy to serve. My version is filled with Italian sausage and spinach.

• gyoza/wonton wrappers for the noodle part (gyoza are round, wonton are square)
• sauce (I used TJ's Tomato Basil Marinara)
• ricotta cheese
• shredded Parmesan cheese
• shredded mozzarella cheese
• Italian sausage, cooked
  
• fresh spinach, chopped
  
• cooking spray
  

Start by spraying a cupcake pan with cooking oil then line each slot with a wrapper. Layer with a teaspoonful of sauce, then a teaspoon of ricotta, a sprinkle of Parmesan, spinach, and finally sausage. Add another wrapper on top and repeat the layers. Top off with the mozzarella with another hit of Parmesan. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Wait a few minutes for the cupcakes to cool and set to retain shape before removing from the pan.

Pictured above is the lasagna at various stages of completion.  Starting at the lower left corner then counterclockwise: wrapper w/ sauce, then with ricotta & Parmesan; 2nd row down middle right has sausage and the one to the right has the second layer started; above those have second layers with sausage & spinach, and the 4 on the upper left are completed.  These are perfect to make on the weekends and eat for lunch or dinner later during the week. Why didn't I know about them sooner?!

Kalbi

Kalbi is one of those staples that is always comforting and popular, but can require lots of time to marinate so you can't always make it on the fly. I threw caution to the wind and let it sit for about 2 hours rather than overnight, and the flavors gelled perfectly. This recipe for kalbi is simple and straight-forward, and easy to add your own touches to. I used boneless chuck short ribs bought bulk from Costco, sliced to about 1/4 inch across and cut into quarters on the length of the strip. In addition to the sliced yellow onion, I chopped up some green onions from the garden. A stove top grill is the perfect way to cook this up when it's too cold for the outside grill. Yum!

Before & After Roast Chicken

I love the roast chicken from Costco. You can do so much with the leftovers, such as shredding up and smothering the meat with D's BBQ Sauce and pairing it with leftover steamed buns. On the side are leftover quinoa cooked in veggie broth with sweet red peppers, and sauteed Swiss chard and mushrooms. Strange combination but it worked. Below is what we had in the previous meal, before becoming leftover. The green-looking flat bread is called a zaatar, made of dried thyme, sesame seeds and olive oil, and the half one next to it had mushrooms in probably a red pepper puree.