Tamari Walnut Salad

We are going to a birthday party for my uncle today and he has Celiac Disease so I wanted to make a gluten free salad to bring that he could enjoy. My friend passed along this recipe and it is delicious! I love the savory crunch of the tarmari glazed walnuts with the tartness of the rice vinegar. The pop of green from the edamame is beautiful and I added a bit of sweetness by tossing in some dried cranberries. If you are wanting to make this gluten free you must take care that you pick out a tamari or soy sauce that is gluten free.

Ingredients

1 cup dry brown rice

2 cups water

3 cups frozen shelled edamame

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 cup broken walnuts

3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce (I used gluten free tamari)

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions (white and green parts)

1/3 cup dried cranberries (optional, my addition)

For the Dressing-

5 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger (more of less depending on taste, I used about 2-3 teaspoons)

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes (optional, my addition)

Instructions

Make the rice. Put rice and 2 cups water in a pot and heat to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes or so until tender. Uncover and let cool. Do not refrigerate.

Steam the edamame until bright green, 3-5 minutes.

Place 2 teaspoons of oil in a small skillet and heat over medium high. Add the walnuts, and toss to coat with oil. When the pan is hot, add the tamari or soy sauce and stir constantly until the walnuts are coated and the tamari has evaporated, about 30-60 seconds. Transfer to a plate and let cool.

To make the dressing, whisk together the oil, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, salt and chili flakes until blended.

To assemble, place rice, edamame, green onion, and cranberries in a serving bowl. Add dressing and toss to coat. Add walnuts and toss again. Serve at room temperature. 

Enjoy!

Creamy Potato Salad

I did not think I was going to make it....I almost did not get in a post for the month of April. I really need to get back in the habit of weekly posts but I at least need to do one a month. I almost did not get a post done for this month because it has been a VERY busy month. I had a baby girl on the 15th. She is our first so we have been very busy in the past few months and really busy now. Oh how we love our little girl!

I decided we are having hamburgers for dinner tonight. I had some potatoes that needed to be used so I thought a potato salad sounded good to go with the burgers. I tossed together this creamy potato salad with just some ingredients I had on hand. It would have been better if I had had some small, thin skinned potatoes but russets are what I had. The spinach gives the salad a beautiful green color and the horseradish gives just the right kick. There is mayo in this salad but it is cut with plain yogurt which adds some tang and lightens it up.

Ingredients

6 medium sized potatoes ( I would use about a pound of thin skinned yellow potatoes next time)

2 eggs

2 sundried tomato chicken sausages, chopped

1/4 cup mayo

1/4 cup plain yogurt

2 tablespoons hot horseradish

1 large handful baby spinach

chicken broth

salt & pepper

fresh chives for garnish

Directions

Boil the potatoes until tender and then let cool. At the same time hard-boil the eggs. When cool, peel and chop the potatoes and eggs. In a blender add the large handful of baby spinach and just enough chicken broth to get the blender to process the spinach. Add the spinach mixture to the potatoes and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Add the mayo, yogurt, sausage, and horseradish and fold the salad together. Salt and pepper to taste and top with fresh chives for garnish. Chill for a few hours before serving.

Recipe by me.

Tabasco & Asparagus Quinoa

It had been a long times since I used some of the quinoa that is sitting in my pantry, so I decided to look around for a new recipe. I came across this one and mixed it up a bit. The dish has good flavor and the tabasco is really subtle. I think I prefer the dish warm but enjoyed it for lunch today cold. I have made a few quinoa dishes that I was not really happy with but this one I really do like and will make again. I think the tabasco butter makes a big difference and adds the right flavors and creaminess. Quinoa when not seasoned enough in my opinion can have a slight bitter taste. I will continue to experiment with quinoa because it is such a healthy grain but I'm glad I found this to start off with.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons jalapeño mustard or Dijon mustard
17 drops Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

1 pound asparagus, cut into 1-inch segments

4 cups cooked quinoa
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/3 cup, sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained

10-15 medium sized shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails on if desired

more Tabasco sauce to taste

Directions

To cook quinoa: Combine 2 cups of well-rinsed dried quinoa with 3 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 25 - 30 minutes or until quinoa is tender.

In a small bowl whip the butter until it is light and airy. Add the mustard, Tabasco sauce, lemon juice and salt.

When the quinoa is almost ready (about 20 minutes into cooking), put another saucepan on the stove filled with water to blanch the asparagus. When the water has come to a boil, toss the asparagus is a blanch for just a minute or two and drain right away.

While the asparagus is blanching, take of table spoon of the butter mixture put in a skillet of medium high heat. Add the shrimp and cook until just opaque.

In a large serving bowl, take the 4 cups of hot cooked quinoa and toss with the rest of the tabasco butter. Stir in the asparagus, pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes and shrimp. Serve with more Tabasco sauce on the side.

Serves 4-6 and is good warm or cold.

Recipe adapted from 101 Cookbooks

Risotto-Style Barley with Citrus and Arugula

This is a delicious and creamy risotto. A first for me making a risotto from anything but Arborio rice but the barley is really nice. I love barley so I figured I would not be disappointed. I unfortunately did not have any arugula so I substituted with baby spinach. I'm sure the bitterness of the arugula would have been a great contrast to the citrus so I will make sure I have some arugula next time.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 or 2 shallots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
2 cups lightly pearled barley
1 cup good—quality dry white wine
6 cups water
1 orange
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup crème fraiche or sour cream
2 big handfuls arugula, coarsely chopped
Handful of chopped toasted walnuts, for garnish

Directions

1. Heat the butter in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, then add the onion, shallots, garlic, and salt and sauté, stirring constantly, for about 4 minutes, or until the onion begins to soften.
2. Add the barley to the pot and stir until coated with a nice sheen, then add the white wine and simmer for 3 or 4 minutes, until the barley has absorbed the liquid a bit. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle, active simmer.
3. In increments, add about 6 cups of water, i cup at a time, letting the barley absorb most of the liquid between additions; this should take around 40 minutes altogether. Stir regularly, because you don’t want the grains on the bottom of the pan to scorch. You will know when the barley is cooked because it won’t offer up much resistance when chewing (it will, however, be chewier than Arborio rice). I think this risotto is better on the brothy side, so don’t worry if there is a bit of unabsorbed liquid in the pot.
4. Meanwhile, grate the zest of the orange, then peel and segment the orange. Cut the segments in half, reserving any juices that leak out. When the barley is tender, stir in the orange zest, segments and juice, lemon zest, Parmesan, and crème fraiche. Taste and adjust the seasoning if need be, then stir in the arugula. Garnish with the toasted walnuts before serving.

Recipe from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Cooking.

Crunchy Slaw Salad

I had about three-quarters of a head of green cabbage left over from a stir fry that I needed to use up. I decided that this Crunchy Slaw Salad would be a perfect way to use it up because it is a beautiful day so we will barbeque some chicken to go with it. I have only made slaw salads like this with mayonnaise so this is a really nice change. The dressing is awesome. It is just like that creamy vinaigrette you get with teriyaki take-out. I wish I had some fish because this slaw would be amazing on fish tacos.

Ingredients

Creamy Vinaigrette

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Fine-grain sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Splash of heavy cream

Slaw

• 1 extra-crisp apple, peeled and cored
• 1 big squeeze of lemon juice
• 1 small Savoy cabbage ( I just had regular green cabbage but Savoy would be even better)
• 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Directions

To make the dressing, whisk the apple cider and lemon juice together in a small bowl, season with a few pinches of salt and a couple grinds of pepper, then gradually whisk in the olive oil followed by the cream. Set aside.

Shred the apple on the large holes of a box greater, then put the shreds in a bowl of cold water with the squeeze of lemon; this will keep the apple from browning. Cut the cabbage into quarters and core each section, then cut them into a very fine chiffonade. Just before serving, drain the apples and toss with the cabbage, walnuts, and dressing in a large bowl. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed Serve immediately.

Serves 4-6

Recipe from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Cooking.

Calamari

I decided to be adventurous the other day and take on the challenge of making homemade Calamari rings because I found squid for a great price. They were such a great price that even if the whole endeavor was a complete disaster I was only going to be out a few bucks and some time. I searched the web on how to clean whole squid and at first I felt like I should have been in science class rather than my kitchen. It was really fun actually but I have always liked that kind of stuff. I loved cleaning fish growing up. Cleaning the squid was a little time consuming but easy and the Calamari turned out really well. I was surprised I thought they would be rubbery or soggy but they were much, much better then a lot of the Calamari I have been served in restaurants. I made up a few different dipping sauces and my husband and I really enjoyed our appetizer. So don't be afraid to give homemade calamari rings a try.

Ingredients

1/2 pound cleaned, whole squid

1 cup all-purpose batter mix for deep frying (basically flour, corn starch, baking powder and salt)

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley

2 cloves garlic minced

oil for frying

Directions

Preheat deep fryer or deep pan with required amount of oil to 375 degrees.

Chop the squid bodies into 1/4" rings and cut the tentacles off just under the eyes. Rise with water and shake of excess moisture. In a zip-lock baggy, add the dry batter mix, pepper, parsley and garlic. Shake to mix and then add the squid and continue to shake until all the squid in coated.

Fry in batches until the rings are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Don't over cook or they will be tough. Remove from oil and let drain on paper towels. Serve warm with salt and pepper (if need), lemon, and dipping sauces of your choice.

Recipe by me.

Nutty Greens with Bacon and Blue Cheese

I made this dish to go with our Thanksgiving meal. I thought these beans were unbelievably delicious. At first I got some grumbling that I did not make the traditional "green bean casserole" (BORING!.....but good I must say) but after everyone had tried some there were no longer any complaints. I could not get enough of these. For a healthier version one could discard the bacon drippings and use olive oil but hey, it was Thanksgiving so I was all about the bacon drippings. :)
Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 1 pound haricots verts, trimmed
• 3 slices bacon
• 4 ounces blue cheese, cut into small chunks (recommended: Shropshire)
• 1 1/2 cups toasted whole pecans, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the haricots verts and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove the beans from the water and immediately place in a bowl of ice water. Remove the haricots verts from the ice water and set aside in a medium bowl.

In a large saute pan, over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon and place on paper towels. Add the beans to the bacon drippings and cook over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the blue cheese and toss just until it starts to melt. Break the cooked bacon into bite-size pieces and add to pan. Finish by stirring in the toasted chopped pecans. Season with the freshly ground black pepper and just a tiny pinch of kosher salt. Serve immediately.

Recipe courtesy Claire Robinson via The Food Network.com

Zucchini Potato Latkes

We still have tons of zucchini to use up and I was running out of ideas of what to do with it. I did a little digging and came across Zucchini Potato Latkes. They sounded perfect so I decided to give them a try for dinner. The mixture was pretty wet but the eggs kept the patties together just fine. I have never eaten or made Latkes so I can't compare them but they reminded me of a mix between homemade hashbrowns and potato pancakes that my mother always made when she had leftover mashed potatoes. I really liked them and I think they are a great use from zucchini. Another recipe I ran across recommended serving them with either sour cream or apple sauce. I happened to have freshly made apple sauce on the stove so it was perfect. I also realized that all the main components to this recipe all came from the farm this week. I had gathered the zucchini, potatoes, onion, apples and eggs from my last visit to the folks which makes this recipe even better.

Ingredients

• Makes about 9-12 patties
• 
  
• 4 cups zucchini, grated (I removed the seeds before grating)
  
• 2 cups white potatoes, peeled and grated
  
• 1 medium onion, grated
• 3 eggs
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons seasoned whole wheat bread crumbs
• Pepper, to taste
• Garlic powder, to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• olive oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees then mix together the zucchini, potato and onion. Whisk the eggs together and add to the vegetable/potato mixture. Mix together the flour, bread crumbs, pepper, garlic powder and salt and combine with the egg/vegetable mixture. Heat large nonstick frying pan with a little olive oil. Drop batter by spoonfuls into hot pan and fry until brown, turning to fry on the other side. Remove from fry pan and place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Repeat until all patties are browned and place in the oven and cook for 10-12 minutes. Serve immediately.

Recipe modified from foodnetwork.com

Indian Carrot Pudding

Every week I babysit for my friend's daughter. She will be 2 in August and it is truly one of the highlights of my week. Anyone that knows me knows that I love kids. I am constantly trying to get people to pawn their kids off on me so I get my baby fix. I will have lots of practice under my belt for when we start our family.

One of the challenging things about watching this 22-month-old is getting her to eat something. She just really is not that interested in food ( I wish I was the same sometime). According to her mom, right now all she wants to eat is cherry tomatoes, bananas and ice cream. When she is with me I can occasionally get her to eat part of a sandwich, fruit and yogurt. I was trying to come up with some new ideas of what I could feed her that was a little more substantial than just fruit when I can across this recipe for carrot pudding. It sounded perfect so I gave it a shot and guess what?? She ate a ton of it. I tried some too. It is good but not something I would make for myself. I found other recipes for Indian carrot puddings that had rice and way more sugar. I probably would like those more but if you have a picky eater at home give this a try.

Ingredients

• 12 oz shredded carrots (about 2 large carrots)
• 2 cups whole milk
  
• 4 cardamom pods (optional, I did not have cardamom so I just added a little cinnamon)
• 4 T butter
• 2 T sugar ( I used agave nectar)
  
• 1/3 c. raisins (optional, I used craisins)
  
  

Directions

Mix the carrots, the milk and the cardamom in a medium heavy bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil, and cook, stirring periodically, until the mixture is almost dry. Add butter, cook until butter is thoroughly melted and incorporated. Add the sugar(or agave) and the raisins, and serve warm or cool, but not cold.

Recipe from Savour Fare.

Rhubarb Chutney

Our lot here at the Lowe residence is pretty small and I already have it overflowing with plants, which means there is not much room for vegetables(lucky for me my parents have a huge garden). One vegetable I did make room for was rhubarb, however. I absolutely love rhubarb. I have a great rhubarb muffin recipe that I will share sometime and nothing makes a better crisp than rhubarb in my opinion. I also love to eat it just slightly sweetened like applesauce. Just this week I was looking at my rhubarb plant and thinking I better make something with those beautiful red stalks when a few minutes later I was flipping through my latest issue of Everyday Food, and there was my answer, rhubarb chutney. It was super simple to put together and I really can't believe I had not thought about using rhubarb like this before! It was awesome on pork chops.

Ingredients

Makes 2 cups

• 1 tablespoons olive oil (recipe called for 2 tablespoons)
  
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 pound rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon peeled minced fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (recipe called for one cinnamon stick but I did not have any)
  
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (recipe called for sherry vinegar again I substitued with what I had on hand)
  

Directions

1. In a saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add onion and cook until softened, 5 to 6 minutes.
2. Add rhubarb, raisins, sugar, ginger, and cinnamon stick(or 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon). Cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until rhubarb begins to break down, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick and stir in vinegar. (To store, refrigerate, up to 5 days.) Serve with ham or pork.
   

Recipe adapted from May 2009 issue of Martha Stewart's' Everyday Food.

Bulgur Salad

Bulgur is one of those grains I often forget about and I really should not. Over the last few years I have started cooking almost solely with whole grains (occasionally I just have to have some white sticky rice although) and the only down side is that they take a long time to cook. I'm always calling Ryan asking him to put on the brown rice before I get home from work so we can eat at a decent hour. I forget how quickly bulgur takes to cook. It is great for when you are in a time crunch and tastes great especially in this salad. The cranberries and lemon gives this salad a fresh twist that is perfect for spring.

Ingredients

4-6 servings

• 2 cups bulgur
  
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
  
• 2-3 spring onions
  
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
  
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 small hand full fresh flat leaf parsley
  
• zest of one lemon and juice of half a lemon
• salt and pepper
  

Directions

Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until golden brown color, but be careful not to burn them. Once done, remove from skillet and set aside.

Thinly slice the spring onions and chop the dried cranberries. In a large saucepan add the olive oil and saute the spring onions over medium heat until soft.

Add the vegetable stock to the saucepan and bring to a boil, then add the bulgur and let boil for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cranberries and then remove from heat and let stand until the bulgur is soft (10 to 15 minutes). Drain excessive stock if necessary.

Grate the zest of one lemon and the juice of half that lemon into the saucepan, add the toasted pine nuts and parsley. Use a fork to fluff the bulgur until everything is mixed well. Season to taste with additional sea salt and pepper. Enjoy warm, room temperature or cold.

Recipe from me