harvest grain salad (?)

I'm sorry that I'm presenting you with another salad. On a Monday.

I'm sorry that this salad looks eerily similar to this one. Or perhaps this one. I promise you it's different.

I'm sorry that I haven't had coffee yet. I'm sorry I keep putting off my workout today. I'm sorry my house is dirty. Let's move on to happier things.

...Salad? A happier thing? I think so. I say it's a salad but you really can't call it a salad any more than you can call a Hollywood marriage permanent.

Eat this. It has everything in it. Deep, earthy flavors from the grains and nuts combine with the richness of the goat cheese and squash, only to be balanced out by the bright pop of pomegranate seeds and sweet chewy Craisins. How's that for a description? May be my best yet.

Note: The farro has to soak overnight or for about 8 hours, so you kind of have to plan this in advance.

Harvest Grain Salad
About 3 servings

2/3 cup Isreali Couscous (uncooked)
1/2 cup Farro (uncooked)
1/2 of a butternut squash
1/4 cup of pistachios, shelled
1/4 cup of Craisins
1/4 cup of pomegranate seeds
2 oz. of crumbled goat cheese
1-2 cups of spinach
olive oil and red wine vinegar
kosher salt and lemon pepper (or regular pepper)

Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with foil. Prepare squash by cutting off the rind and cutting the squash into small cubes. Put it into a bowl and toss it with a drizzle of olive oil and some salt and pepper. Pour onto prepare baking sheet and roast, for about 15 minutes or until soft and starting to brown. (Stir or turn once or twice as needed during roasting.)

While squash is cooking, cook your (presoaked) farro and couscous according to package instructions.

When grains are done cooking, put them in a large bowl. Add the cooked squash, the pistachios, the craisins, and the pomegranate seeds. Add in about a tablespoon of olive oil (I used lemon-infused) and about a tablespoon of red wine vinegar, and a couple pinches of salt and pepper (to taste). Toss. Add goat cheese and spinach and toss gently until spinach wilts slightly from the warmth of the other ingredients. Taste and adjust seasonings/ingredients as desired. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
 

butternut squash, poblano and chicken quesadillas

Some people complain that Chicago has three seasons: Winter, Summer, and Construction. 

 In a town that is hailed for it's lack of transitional weather, I just have to say: We have been having the most amazing Fall. Let's try to remember this next time we want to cry about how it went from 70 degrees to blizzard overnight. The Fall of 2011 was wonderful. 

 It has been sunny and 60s-70s for a few weeks now, almost without exception. (A couple rainy days but whatevs). Apples and pumpkins are popping up everywhere and just generally bringing good cheer. And it's squash season. So here I present you with a squash quesadilla. It's sweet, spicy, cheesy and gooood.

That is all. That is my transition from blog post to recipe. Not as smooth as the weather.

Notes for this Quesa-dilla:

-All filling ingredients are according to taste. If you like more cheese, for example, by all means use more cheese.  But you knew that.

-I found the poblano to be slightly bitter in this recipe. Next time I may try corn instead for a sweeter flavor.

-I think black beans could make a welcome appearance in this quesadilla as well. You could subsitute them for the chicken and have yourself a nice vegetarian option.

Butternut Squash, Poblano and Chicken Quesadillas

Makes 2 Quesadillas

4 Tortillas

1-2 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken

1 roasted poblano pepper, chopped* (to roast, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper and place in oven at 350 for 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally. Let cool before chopping.)

1 cup chopped cooked butternut squash

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

2+ cups shredded jack cheese (I used pepper jack)

3/4 cup crumbled feta

Butter

Salt and pepper

Other seasonings of your choice (I used Trader Joe's South African Smoke, which is a blend of sea salt, paprika flakes, garlic and basil. It gave it a nice little kick.)

Sour cream and salsa, for serving, if desired

Prepare all ingredients. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add butter to heated skillet. Place a tortilla in the skillet. Sprinkle about 3/4-1 cup of jack cheese and 1/4 cup of feta onto the tortilla. Add 1/2-1 cup of chicken. Add the squash (about 1/2 cup) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add 1/2 the poblano (or corn) and about 2 T. cilantro. Sprinkle with seasonings of choice or more salt and pepper. Add about 1/4 cup more of the jack cheese and a little more feta. Top with a tortilla. Once cheese on the bottom tortilla is melty and the underside is golden brown, flip carefully, adding more butter to the skillet if you want to/are able to. Cook until golden brown, about 3 more minutes or so. 

Serve with salsa and/or sour cream, or other toppings of choice.

fig and goat cheese grilled flatbread pizza

No beating around the bush today. 

No fun stories. No hilarious jokes. No charming anecdotes.

Just pizza. 

Just delicious, sweet, salty, tangy pizza. 

Just chewy, crispy (yes, both at once), ridiculous flatbread pizza.

Fig and Goat Cheese Grilled Flatbread Pizza

(Adapted from Former Chef)

1 ball of pizza dough (you can use pre-made or make your own. I used the recipe from here, I just prepared the dough without baking it)

4-5 ripe figs, sliced 1/4 thick, skin on

2-3 oz goat cheese, crumbled

2 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped

4-5 leaves of fresh basil, chopped

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil plus more for the grill

Balsamic Vinegar

Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Prepare the dough. Spread or roll it very thin, but even. Try not to get areas which are too thin because these will form holes and burn easily. 

When the dough is ready, start the grill and get it very hot. If your grill has a temperature gauge, let it get to about 400 degrees.

Prep all the toppings. 

Spray or brush the surface of the dough with some of the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, if desired. Place that side down on the hot grill. Cook until the dough begins to firm up on the bottom and gets a nice brown color. Brush the uncooked side of the dough with olive oil and flip over.

Add the figs, goat cheese and bacon to the top of the grilled flat bread and shut the lid of the grill for about two minutes so the toppings can get warm and the bottom of the bread can finish cooking.

When the bottom is well toasted, remove the flatbread to a platter or cutting board and sprinkle it with chopped basil and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Tip: If using an outdoor grill, rub the surface of the grill with a rolled kitchen towel (use an old one you can throw away), lightly dipped in oil (be careful, use tongs to do this). This will help keep the dough from sticking. If you are using an indoor grill, it is probably nonstick and you will probably not need to do this.

green bean salad with feta and dill

Did you have a good Labor Day weekend? I hope so.

Want to know what I did for the holiday weekend?

I fed the mosquitos.

I sacrificed my body to the little bloodsuckers for the sake of camping in the woods. These weren't just any mosquitos, no, I think they're special mosquitos. Mosquitos that have built up an immunity to Off. Mosquitos on steroids. Bold, persistent mosquitos.

I counted 16 bites on the front of the upper half of my right leg. Like from knee to hip, just on the top side. 

I hope those mosquitos choke on my blood and die.

But you know what else I did for the holiday weekend?

I camped in the woods with some of my favorite people. We ate hot dogs around the campfire, and spun around in the dark, and had volleyball tournaments, and played scattergories under tarps in the rain. We ate s'mores (have you ever spread peanut butter on your graham cracker first? Amazing.) and drank instant coffee in the cool of the morning, and laughed until we almost peed our pants. We all sacrificed our bodies to the mosquitos together and it was so worth it. I wouldn't trade it.

This has nothing to do with green bean salad. But. Make this salad anyway, it is so delicious. The green beans are crunchy and the dressing is tangy and the feta is cheesy and it will make you happy.

Green Bean Salad with Feta and Dill

Serves 2

About 2 cups of fresh green beans

1/4 cup of a vinaigrette dressing, like Italian Dressing. I used Brianna's French Vinaigrette.

2-3 T. crumbled feta

2 T. chopped red onion

2 T. chopped fresh dill

Cook beans in boiling water about 3 minutes or until tender crisp (I like mine on the crispier side, but if you prefer a little more cooked, increase time to 4 minutes or so). Drain and rinse well with cold water to stop cooking. Toss beans with dressing, cheese, onion and dill in a bowl. Serve immediately or refrigerate and serve chilled.

cheesy grilled zucchini pasta

 

 

I'm all about the zucchini these days. It's more versatile than I realized. Growing up, we either (over)fried it in butter (you know when it gets all limp and flops around on your fork like a dying fish), or my mom made zucchini bread, which really was pretty good, but I still can't bring myself to make a sweet bread out of a zucchini when there are other options like bananas or berries (more on that soon). That was a very long sentence, I just realized that, but I'm really good at run-on sentences, and I also like cookies.

My grandma makes a pretty amazing zucchini cake too, but that's really neither here nor there. I just thought you should know that my grandma is amazing.

So zucchini has been going into omelets, and added to kebabs, and grilled for pasta. Grilling zucchini is definitely a favorite. And when you add other favorites like goat cheese and pasta, you have a dinner that gets inhaled a little too quickly (if you're me and have little self control).

I ended up adding grilled tomatoes to this too, but it was after the fact, and I didn't get any pictures of it (remember that part about inhaling?).

Cheesy Grilled Zucchini Pasta

Serves 2

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove minced garlic

1 cup heavy cream

1 lemon

1/2 pound pasta (I used penne)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for topping, if desired

1/4 cup fresh crumbled goat cheese

1/4 cup basil, chopped

1 zucchini, sliced on the diagonal

1 tomato, sliced

Salt and pepper

Gently toss the sliced zucchini and tomato with some olive oil and salt and pepper. I also sprinkled them with a little Herbs de Provence for good measure. You can season them however you like.

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the garlic. Cook for about 30-60 seconds. Add the cream, the zest from 1/2 of the lemon, the juice from the whole lemon, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes until thickened.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the pasta, and cook according to package directions. Drain the pasta and place back into the pot. Immediately add the cream mixture and cook over medium low heat for 3 minutes. Pour the hot pasta into a large bowl and add the parmesan and goat cheese. Toss well, and season to taste. 

While the pasta and is cooking, grill the zucchini and tomato. It shouldn't take more than a couple minutes per side, and probably less for the tomato, according to your preference.

Spoon pasta into bowls. Top with extra parmesan cheese, chopped basil, and the grilled vegetables.
You can grill up some chicken to toss with this too for a lil extra protein!

goat cheese, tomato and rosemary pizza

I love goat cheese.

Rather, I adore goat cheese.

If I'm reading through a restaurant menu and I see the words "goat cheese", I'm pretty much sold already. I'll just have that, whatever it is.

Naturally I try to think of all the ways I can use it at home.

So naturally I put it on a pizza.

This pizza is so light and delicious. You know what took it to the next level though?

The homemade flatbread crust.

 I was so in love with it. It was exactly the right combination of crisp and light, with almost a hint of sweetness.

Needless to say I will be finding many other things to put on top of it in the future. Stay tuned.

Goat Cheese, Tomato and Rosemary Flat Bread Pizza

(Flat bread recipe found here)

Crust:

1 pkg fast-acting dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

2 T. unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 T. sugar

1 tsp. salt

3/4 cup warm milk
 2 1/2 to 3 c. sifted flour

Toppings:

One large tomato, sliced

About 3 ounces of fresh goat cheese, crumbled (more or less to taste)

One sprig of fresh rosemary, chopped, or other herb of choice

Olive oil

Balsamic Vinegar

Italian Seasoning

Kosher salt and Fresh ground black pepper


Prepare Crust:

Soften yeast in warm water. Combine in mixing bowl the butter, sugar, salt and warm milk. Add 1 cup of flour, stir well, then add the yeast mixture. Gradually add enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn out on a floured surface, cover with a bowl, let rest for 10 minutes. Knead lightly until smooth, 4-5 minutes.

Place in greased bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place until light, about 45 minutes. Divide dough in half. You can put one in the refrigerator to use within a couple days or in the freezer if you won't use it right away. Or you can just prepare both, if you want to make two pizzas. Put dough onto a greased cookie sheet or pizza pan. Let rest for 5 minutes. Then stretch or roll or press dough into a rectangle or circle that is about 1/4 thick.

Assemble pizza:
Brush prepared dough with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and Italian Seasoning. Add tomato slices, followed by goat cheese crumbles. Sprinkle the rosemary on top then drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Add more salt and pepper if desired.

Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes until crust is golden brown and cheese is melty.