Cauliflower with Lemon-Caper Vinaigrette

Cauliflower is so bland, it definitely needs something to give it a flavor boost. This is a zingy option...

Ingredients
3 C cauliflower
2 T olive oil
1 T lemon juice
2 T chopped fresh parsley
1½ T minced shallot
2-3 tsp capers, rinsed and drained
salt & pepper to taste

Directions
Wash and trim cauliflower; cut to bite sized floret chunks. Boil or steam until crisp tender.

While cauliflower cooks, prepare vinaigrette: Whisk together olive oil and lemon juice. Stir in parsley, shallot and capers.

Toss cooked cauliflower with vinaigrette. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Tangy Grapefruit Tart

Saw this recipe in Better Homes & Gardens. I substituted a shortbread crust (I didn't have graham crackers on hand, and with the recent snowfall and icy roads it wasn't worth a trip to the grocery store). The chopped pistachios and toasted coconut suggested as garnishes in the orginal recipe certainly look nice (check out their photo with the link above). But since I don't personally like coconut and have a mild allergy to nuts, I stuck with some fresh whipped cream, grapefruit slices and a little zest...somewhat monochromatic and  with less textural appeal, but it's what I had! :)

INGREDIENTS

• 1purchased graham cracker crumb pie shell
• 1egg white, lightly beaten
• 3/4cup sugar
• 3tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 1/2cups grapefruit juice
• 3egg yolks
• 6tablespoons butter, cut up
• 1drop red food coloring
• 1/4cup toasted coconut
• 2tablespoons chopped dry roasted pistachio nuts

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly brush crust with egg white. Bake for 5 minutes or until lightly browned; set aside to cool. In a medium saucepan stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Add the juice; cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Gradually whisk half of the mixture into the egg yolks. Return mixture to saucepan. Cook and stir constantly until mixture boils gently. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Add butter and stir until melted. Stir in food coloring. Pour mixture into prepared crust. Cover loosely and chill for 4 to 6 hours or until set. Top with coconut and pistachios.

Sweet Potato & Bacon Frittata

I was inspired by this recipe from Cooking Light; but after last night's snowfall (on top of the previous week's accumulation) it wasn't worth going on a grocery run, especially when I had reasonable substitutes and things that needed to be used up right here in my frig! Here's my version, finished in jumbo muffin cups for easy single servings that I can keep and re-heat individually...though a larger skilled -- or casserole -- would be fine too.

Ingredients
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced (about 2 C)
5 slices bacon, chopped
1-2 T vegetable oil or butter
1 large shallot, thinly sliced (about 3/4 C)
6 eggs
1 oz Gruyere, grated
½ C sour cream
½ C milk
½ C heavy cream
1 T fresh sage, chopped*
     (okay, I didn't have fresh sage...substitute 1 tsp dried sage)
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp cayenne
¼ C crumbled chevre
2 T chpoped fresh chives (I didn't have any, but I'll include it here as it would be welcome!)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cook bacon in skillet to desired doneness (I like mine fairly well done); remove bacon to paper-towel-lined plate, reserving drippings in skillet.

Add sweet potatoes and sliced shallots; cover and sauté over medium heat, tossing periodically, until potatoes are almost fork tender and shallots have caramelized (6-10 minutes, depending on size of dice).

Meanwhile, lightly coat 6 jumbo muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray (or ramekins, or 1 9-inch pie plate or similar size casserole dish...). Whisk together eggs, Gruyere, sour cream, milk, heavy cream, sage, salt and cayenne.

When potatoes and shallots are ready, divide equally between muffin cups; top each with bacon. Pour egg mixture over each muffin cup, dividing equally...2/3 - 3/4 full as they will puff as they cook. Top with crumbled chevre.

Bake 20-24 minutes, until centers are set and tops are golden brown. (A larger casserole will need 40-45 minutes.) Garnish with chopped chives.

Glazed Pearl Onions

Most of this appealed to me. I'm not a huge fan of cumin; it was okay here, but making this again, I might sub it out for something else. It needs something to balance the sweet & sour though. You don't need much of this -- kind of like cranberry sauce on the side of your Thanksgiving plate...just a few bites to wake up the plate with zingy flavor!

Ingredients

2 lbs fresh red or white pearl onions

2 ½ T butter

¼ C brown sugar

½ tsp ground cumin

pinch kosher salt

1½ tsp lime zest

¼ C lime juice

½ tsp flaky sea salt

Directions 

Blanche onions: Bring large pot of water to a boil; add onions. Boil 30 seconds; drain and shock (immediately immerse in ice water). Trim root ends, leaving core intact. Squeeze gently from tops to remove outer skins; discard.

Heat butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. When butter sizzles, add onions in single layer; cover. Cook, stirring often, until onions are lightly caramelized (8-10 min).

While onions cook, whisk together brown sugar, cumin, kosher salt, 1 teaspoon lime zest, and lime juice in a small bowl. Pour over onions; toss to coat. Cover; cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until mixture is syrupy and onions tender (5-6 min).

Transfer onions and sauce to serving dish; sprinkle with flaky sea salt and remaining zest. Serve immediately.

not your traditional Ham & Bean Soup

I had a ham bone saved to make soup. Last time, I made split pea, which I love, but I wanted something else. Ham and White Bean soup. But I didn’t have everything for a traditional Ham & White Bean soup, and I wasn’t going out on a shopping run: It’s snowing like crazy outside. School was cancelled today (again!), and I'm cozy inside and soup sounds perfect. So I made soup with what I had.  Sweeter and with more tangy acidity than any traditional Ham & White Bean soup – but that works for me! As near as I can remember…

Ingredients

1 lb ham bone, with extra meat and fat attached

1 lb diced ham*

2 15-oz cans white or cannellini beans

            1 can I drained, the other I dumped in the pot with the juice

1 15-oz can light red kidney beans

            only because I didn’t have more white beans

½ onion, small diced & sautéed until caramelized

1-2 t minced garlic

            I threw this in at the end when sautéing the onion

¼ C tomato paste

2 bay leaves

2-3 T honey

1 T apple cider vinegar

1 t sriracha

water or broth

salt to taste

I had Himalayan pink salt, but that wouldn’t be necessary, little was needed at all…ham is pretty salty already

Directions

Sauté the diced onion to caramelize it, adding the garlic in at the end. (My onion also had thyme, but not much; I would have also thrown in some small diced carrot to sauté and caramelize with the onion, but I didn’t have any. Next time…)

Throw the onion and garlic in a stock pot with everything else and let it all simmer at least an hour. Add water (or broth) to adjust the consistency to your liking.

Remove the bone, pulling off any remaining chunks of meat (if large chunks of fat fall off into the soup, remove those as well). Fish out the bay leaves. Season to taste.

Enjoy!

* The ham originally had a honey and Dijon mustard glaze; also cloves. There was maybe ½ cup of the sauce and drippings with the leftover ham; those flavors came through in the finished soup as well, though I added a little extra honey. Without the sauce, I’d add 1 T each mustard and honey, a pinch of clove; taste it and adjust as desired.

Mini-Cheesecakes

My culinary club students wanted to make mini-cheesecakes. So I went in search of a recipe...

Ingredients

CRUST:

2/3 C graham cracker crumbs

2 T sugar

3 T butter, melted

¼ tsp cinnamon

FILLING:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

¾ C sour cream

1/3 C sugar

1 egg

½ tsp vanilla

GLAZE:

½ C sour cream

2 T sugar

¼ tsp vanilla

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 325°F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

Using a plastic bag and rolling pin, crush graham crackers into fine crumbs. In a bowl, mix 2/3 C graham cracker crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter and stir. Divide evenly between muffin cups, pressing firmly to bottom using a spoon or the bottom of a glass.

  

Using a stand mixer (or mixing bowl and whisk), beat softened cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add sour cream, egg, sugar and vanilla; mix just until well blended. (DO NOT OVERMIX!!)

Divide the filling mixture over the graham cracker crust, filling each cup only 2/3 full.

Bake at 325°F for about 25-30 minutes, until the tops are set. With cheesecakes in the oven, increase oven temp to 400°F.  Meanwhile…

Make glaze: Mix together sour cream, sugar, and vanilla; set aside until oven reaches 400°F. When oven reaches 400°F, remove cheesecakes. Top each cheesecake with 1 teaspoon of glaze, spreading slightly with back of spoon; return cheesecakes to oven for 6-8 minutes. Cool for 1 hour at room temperature in muffin tins.

Serve as is, or…

            …top with your favorite fruit pie filling

            …drizzle with your favorite fruit syrup, chocolate syrup, caramel syrup, etc.

Oven-Dried Tomatoes

I'm not a fan of raw tomatoes. Cooked, in soups and sauces especially...great! Just not impressed with them raw. Some of it is definitely a textural thing for me, but flavor too. So I'm not a good judge of a really 'good' tomato. Recently heard some friends (who ARE tomato lovers) complaining over the flavor as tomatos are not in season now, and read about how slow-roasting is the key to improving and concentrating flavor while slowly caramelizing their natural sugars. (I can definitely taste THAT!) I slow roasted cherry tomatoes -- it's what I had on hand, and trying out the process and getting to the point of sampling the results was much quicker with their smaller size. Fixed pasta and a salad for dinner last night and threw some of the tomatoes on both. They're awesome. They're still not raw. But I'm definitely a fan.

Ingredients
tomatoes
   That's it. Nothing else. No seasoning. No oil. Just naked tomatoes.

Directions
Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Cut tomatoes in half; place them cut-side up on parchment lined tray.
With larger tomatoes, I may try quartering them, but halves sit on the tray very nicely without leaking their juices out, so that might still be the best way to go.

Roast tomatoes at 200° F for 3-5 hours. The timing will really depend on the size of the tomatoes. They should be about the consistency of soft fruit leather...a subtle squish of moisture in the center, with a darker (but not too dark!), richer color, and curled edges.

Rosemary Garlic Parmesan Crisps

Ingredients
6 oz parmesan cheese, grated
1 T fresh rosemary, minced
1 tsp finely minced garlic (or garlic powder)

Directions
Prehead oven to 425°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment; lightly coat with non-stick cooking spray. Toss rosemary and garlic with parmesan. Drop tablespoons of seasoned parmesan onto parchment sheets, spacing 2 inches apart; flatten slightly.

Bake 4-5 minutes until edges begin to brown. Carefully slide parchment off baking sheet onto wire rack to cool until firm; remove crisps using spatula directly onto wire rack to cool completely.

Grapefruit Poppy Seed Bread

Breakfast? Dessert? Well, yes! I love grapefruit, and this is a refreshing updated version of the more common lemon poppy seed...

Ingredients
1½ C flour
2 t baking powder
1¼ t salt
1 C sugar
1½ T grapefruit zest
2 eggs
1/3 C vegetable oil
1½ t vanilla extract
¾ C sour cream
½ C grapefruit juice
1½ T poppy seeds
¾ C powdered sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°. Line a loaf pan with parchment; lightly coat with non-stick cooking spray.

Whisk flour, bakingpowder, and 1 tsp salt in a bowl; set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together sugar and grapefruit zest until sugar begins to clump slightly. Add eggs, oil and vanilla; beat on high speed until light and thick. Add 5 T grapefruit juice. Blend in half of dry ingredients, then sour cream, then remaining dry ingredients. Fold in 1 T poppy seeds.

Pour batter into loaf pan; bake 50-60 minutes, until top is golden and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. use toothpick to poke holes in top; brush with remaining grapefruit juice, reserving 1 tablespoon.

Let loaf cool 15 minutes in pan; remove -- lift from pan using edges of parchment -- to wire rack to cool completely.

Mix powdered sugar, remaining ¼ tsp salt, and remaining grapefruit juice until smooth. Drizzle over loaf; sprinkle with remaining poppyseeds.

Mediterranean Chickpea-Tomato Salad

Ingredients
1 15-oz can chickpeas
1 C small diced tomato
¼ C crumbled feta
¼ C chopped kalamata olives
2 T finely chopped fresh ming
1 T finely chopped fresh parsley
2 T olive oil
2 T red wine vinegar
1½ t sugar
1 t salt
½ t pepper

Directions
Drain and rinse chickpeas. Gently toss all ingredients in a bowl.

Lemon Rosemary Pork Tenderloin

(This photo isn't mine; I made this for company today -- with roasted red potatoes! -- but didn't stop to photograph the dish before serving. Maybe next time I'll take an original shot.)

Ingredients
1 or 2 pork tenderloin, 1-1.5 lb each
zest of 1 lemon
¾ C lemon juice
½ C + 2 T olive oil
2 T minced garlic
1½ T minced fresh rosemary
1 T chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 T Dijon mustard
salt & pepper
Optional: extra rosemary or thyme sprigs for garnish

Directions
Combine lemon zest, lemon juice, ½ cup olive oil, minced garlic, rosemary, thyme, Dijon mustard, and 1 teaspoon salt in a large zip-tight plastic bag; knead or shake to combine. Add pork tenderloin(s), turn and massage to coat tenderloins. Squeeze excess air from bag; seal. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

Prehead oven to 400°F.

Remove pork tenderloin(s); discard excess marinade. Season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in an oven proof skillet over medium-high heat. Sear tenderloins on all sides. Roast tenderloins in 400°F oven approximately 25 minutes, until meat thermometer inserted in thickest point registers 140-145°F.

Remove from oven; cover with lid (or tinfoil) and let rest 6-8 minutes.

Slice. Garnish, if desired, with rosemary and/or thyme sprigs.

Sweet Breakfast Grits

I've used this recipe in my Intro to Foods & Nutrition class for years. Somehow I never yet got it onto my blog...until now:

Ingredients
2 C water
1¼ C milk
2 T honey
1 tsp salt
1 C quick cooking grits (not instant)
¼ C butter

Directions

In large pot, bring water, milk, honey, and salt to boil.

Slowly add grits to boiling mixture, stirring constantly so grits don’t clump.

Return pot to boiling again. Reduce temperature to medium-low; cover with a lid.

Cook for approximately 30 minutes, stirring about every 5 minutes. Add more water if needed; grits should be thick, but creamy, not lumpy.

Stir in butter.

Serve topped with a little additional butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins, fruit, granola…