Beet & Arugula Salad

I had a beet salad at a restaurant back in May and I've been thinking about it ever since. After looking at lots of recipes and sampling many different versions over the summer, this is how it ended up. I added shredded chicken so it would be more of a meal and ate it over the course of several days.

YUM-O!  

BEET & ARUGULA SALAD

• 8 medium-sized beets, tops removed and scrubbed 
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil 
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• Kosher salt
• pepper
• 4 ounces baby arugula
• 4 ounces feta (or goat cheese)
• 2 avocados 
• 1/3 cup roasted or candied nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Wrap the beets individually in foil and place on a sheet pan. 

Roast beets for 50-60 minutes, until a small sharp knife inserted in the middle indicates they are tender.  

Unwrap each beet and set aside for 10 minutes, until cool enough to handle.

Peel the beets with a small knife over a piece or parchment to prevent staining.

Whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, mustard, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and set aside.

While the beets are still warm, cut them into chunks and place them in a large mixing bowl.  

Toss the beets with half the dressing, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  

Place the arugula in a separate bowl and toss with enough dressing to moisten. 

Put the arugula on a serving platter and then arrange the beets, feta, avocado, and nuts. 

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve warm or room temperature. 

Recipe Source: Ina Garten (slightly modified) 

Creamy Confetti Corn

I made this for Thanksgiving and WOW-EEE, corn has never tasted so good.  Plus, using bacon where I live is like a super big treat, so I might have used more than the recipe called for, which proved to be a good move on my part.

This is a nice twist on what can be a boring side dish.  You might want to add it to the menu of one of your upcoming holiday meals.  Enjoy!  

CREAMY CONFETTI CORN 

• 8 slices bacon, chopped
• 2 (15 ounce) cans yellow corn
• 1/2 cup white onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 8 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes
• 1-2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup green onions, finely chopped

Cook the chopped bacon until golden and crisp.  Transfer bacon to a paper towel lined plate.  Leave a thin coating of bacon grease on the pan.  

Add the corn, onion, and red pepper and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender and the corn is heated through, about 6-8 minutes.  

Add the cream cheese and milk, stirring until the cream cheese melts and the mixture is evenly combined.  

Stir in the sugar, salt, and pepper.  Taste for seasoning and add more salt if needed.  

Stir in the green onions.  

Serve warm topped with bacon.  

NOTE:  Dish can be made up to 2 days ahead of time.  Scoop the creamy corn mixture into an oven-safe dish.  Sprinkle with bacon, cover, and store in the refrigerator.  When ready to eat, heat the corn dish in a 325 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until heated through.  

Source:  Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Fried Cabbage

My mom used to make this growing up, usually as a side dish for teriyaki chicken or other Asian meals.  I love it.  It is super simple, but flavorful.  I feel even a little silly writing a post about it because it seems so common sense, but I like to have things documented so I remember it's an option.  Sometimes I get in such a rut that I can't think of anything to make, so having it here is a good reminder. 

The amounts below are just suggestions and can be adjusted to meet your needs and tastes.  The last time I made this I wanted to use up the bag of matchstick carrots I had so it was a little heavy on carrots, but still perfectly delicious. 

I like to make this to go with egg rolls or sweet and sour chicken.  I would suggest using a pretty big pan.  The cabbage cooks down quite a bit, but takes up a lot of space at the beginning.  I also like  my cabbage very well cooked and a little browned, so depending on how you like it will dictate how long to cook it.

FRIED CABBAGE

• oil
• 1/2 head of cabbage, finely shredded
• shredded carrots
• salt
• pepper

Heat a small amount (a tablespoon or so, depending on how much cabbage you're cooking) in a large fry pan.


Once the oil is hot, add cabbage and carrots.


Stir occassionally and add salt and pepper to taste once the cabbage has started to cook down.


Cook until carrots and cabbage are soft and some of the cabbage is browned. 


Source:  Marsha Porter (aka Mom)

Parmesan-Roasted Broccoli (or Brussel Sprouts)

I was looking for a vegetable side dish to make for Christmas Eve and my friend Gena recommended this. Good call, Gena, good call! This is a nice twist on classic roasted broccoli. The lemon zest and juice give it an excellent, bright flavor. And parmesan? Everything is better with a little sprinkle of parm. (Except in my dad's world. He's convinced it's the worst cheese on the face of the planet.)

Last night I made roasted brussel sprouts using this same combo of ingredients and it was fantastic. The original recipe from Ina calls for pine nuts and basil. I didn't use them either time because I don't typically have them on hand and it was still super tasty. I love it when recipes use ingredients that I already have!

PARMESAN-ROASTED BROCCOLI or (BRUSSEL SPROUTS)

• 4-5 pounds broccoli or 1 1/2 pounds brussel sprouts
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• olive oil
• Kosher salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts (optional)
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons julienned fresh basil leaves (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cut the broccoli into florets. (You should have about 8 cups.)  Or, cut the Brussel sprouts in half. 

Place broccoli on pan in mound and add 5 tablespoons olive oil.

Use your hands to toss broccoli until well coated with olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic, salt, and pepper.

Roast for 20-25 minutes, until crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned.

Remove broccoli from the oven and immediately toss with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, pine nuts, Parmesan and basil.

Source: Ina Garten, Back to Basics book

Roasted Vegetables

This is my favorite way to eat vegetables.  When you roast vegetables, the edges should be crisp and the middles tender.  Roasted broccoli is especially amazing.  In the winter I like to roast carrots and parsnips.  This picture shows broccoli and parsnips.  You can use brussel sprouts, squash, fennel, cauliflower, or whatever tickles your fancy.  The only bummer about roasting vegetables is that they take a solid 15-20 minutes.  But, they're well worth the wait so be sure to plan ahead so you can make it happen!

 

ROASTED VEGETABLES



• vegetables, cut in similar-sized pieces
• olive oil
• Kosher salt
• freshly ground pepper

 

Heat oven to 400 degrees. 

 

 

Cut vegetables in similar-sized pieces and place on heavy baking pan in a pile. 

 

 

Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

 

 

Use hands to toss vegetables, oil, salt, and pepper. 

 

 

Use hands to spread out vegetable pieces on baking sheet. 

 

 

Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until tender. 

 

 

NOTE:  I tried coconut oil this time instead olive oil because I hear it's a little healthier.  I wanted to love it, but didn't.  I feel like that's always the case with me.  Boo. 

 

Garlic Green Beans

There's a fantastic dumpling house in Bellevue called Din Tai Fung.  They have the best garlic green beans.  These are pretty close.  I like to go heavy on the garlic.  Blanching the beans keeps them crisp.

 

GARLIC GREEN BEANS

 

1 1/2 pounds green beans, both ends removed

Kosher salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon good olive oil

3 to 5 garlic cloves, minced (depending on how strong you'd like them)

freshly ground black pepper

 

 

Blanch the string beans in a large pot of boiling salted water for 90 seconds.

 

 

Drain immediately and immerse in a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.

 

 

When they are cool, drain and set aside.

Heat the butter and olive oil in a very large saute pan over medium heat and cook the garlic for 1 to 2 minutes, tossing occasionally, until lightly browned.


Add the string beans, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss together.


Source:  Ina and the Food Network