Creamed Spinach

I have been craving creamed spinach for a while now, but I refuse to buy the frozen processed variety that is loaded with salt, preservatives, and... pardon my French, crap. When spinach turned out to be one of our picks at our CSA pick up, I knew exactly what I was going to make with it. I just had to find a recipe.

I was disappointed to find that so many recipes for creamed spinach call for frozen spinach. Fresh spinach has a beautiful green color, and I find that it is actually easier to work with than frozen spinach. This is because frozen spinach is sold in bricks that is often times freezer burned and once you thaw it out, it is water logged. No fun, and not very tasty. Emeril Lagasse has a recipe on the Food Network that uses fresh spinach. The man has never done me wrong with a recipe in the past, so I decided to give it a try. Needless to say, my craving has been fulfilled.

The original recipe can be found here. I opted against the nutmeg because that just did not sound right. I also cut the recipe in half because I only had a half a pound of spinach versus the two pounds the original recipe calls for.

What you need:
1/2 pound of fresh spinach
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup chopped shallot (which turns out to be exactly one shallot)
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (one clove)
a healthy pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup heavy cream

What you do:
1. Bring a pot of water to boiling, cook spinach for two minutes, then immediately drain in a colander. Press the spinach with a spoon while in the colander to squeeze out as much water as possible. Chop the spinach. I just sort of dumped the pile of spinach onto my cutting board and made four cuts across the pile.

2. Melt the butter in a medium sized skillet over medium-medium high heat. Saute the shallot and garlic until soft and fragrant, about two minutes. At this point, your kitchen will smell amazing. Add the spinach in, and saute for another minute or so.

3. Add the heavy cream, pepper, and salt. Stirring occasionally, cook until the cream has reduced by half, approximately 4 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Roasted Cauliflower

Years ago, a friend of mine introduced me to roasted asparagus. It was love at first bite. The tips got all crispy and it was just... love. Not to mention, crazy easy to make. In recent months, I have tried roasting other vegetables, both as an alternative to steaming, but also as a means of introducing olive oil into our diets. Olive oil is crazy healthy for you, it is an antioxidant, which means it helps clean toxins out of the blood. A recent study also found that olive oil helps reduce risk of heart disease when paired with a diet rich with vegetables, fruit, nuts, and whole grain cereals.

I have yet to find a vegetable that did not respond well to roasting, however, I definitely have my favorites. Cauliflower is certainly at the top of the list. Thom and I purchase a head or two of cauliflower whenever we go grocery shopping and frequently use it as a substitution for a starch, like potatoes or rice. Roasting cauliflower gives it a crispy outside with a nice soft interior, it kind of reminds me of tater tots.

What you need:
A head of cauliflower (you could use frozen, but fresh works best)
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

What you do:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Chop of cauliflower into florets. Place cauliflower into a single layer on a cookie sheet.

2. Drizzle cauliflower with olive oil, just enough to add a little moisture, don't go overboard, we want crispy not soggy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Roast at 425 degrees for 45 minutes, stirring on occasion. You know it is done when it turns a nice golden brown color.

Enjoy!

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

When I was little, my cousins and I would sneak into my grandmother's rhubarb patch grab a few stalks, and then run into the woods to enjoy our prize. At the same time, one of my other cousins would sneak some sugar out of the kitchen. For years we thought this was a completely covert operation, only to find out that my grandparents, aunts, and uncles were onto us the entire time. They just didn't complain because we were eating something healthy. Rhubarb will always have a special place in my heart, it reminds me of careless summer afternoons as a kid.

My mom used to make strawberry rhubarb pie. Strawberries and rhubarb are the perfect combination, the sweetness of the strawberries pairs perfectly with the tartness of the rhubarb. They are also conveniently ripe at about the same time. My mom's recipe used fresh rhubarb and a packet of strawberry jello mix. Don't get me wrong, the recipe is amazing and crazy easy to make. Thom and I avoid processed foods, so I decided to find a recipe that utilized real strawberries, and I would say I was successful.

My recipe is based off of this recipe I found on epicurious.com, and can be found here. I made a couple of modifications.

What you need:

Filling:
Your favorite recipe for a 9 inch pie crust.
3  1/2 cups sliced rhubarb, about one pound
3 1/2 cups sliced strawberries, about one pound
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Crumb Topping:
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons cold butter cut in pieces

What you do:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, line 9 inch deep dish pie plate with pie crust.

2. Combine remaining filling ingredients, combine gently do that you do not crush the strawberries. I used a large fork and tossed everything like a salad. Fill the pie crust.

3. Combine the topping ingredients, and cut the butter in with a pastry fork or two forks. We are going for a mixture with the consistency of damp sand that will hold its shape when squeezed together. Sprinkle topping over filling. It may seem like a lot of topping, but some of it will be absorbed by the filling, so be sure to use all of it.

4. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 1 hour and 25 minutes, or until the crust is golden. I strongly recommend placing the pie plate on a cookie sheet in the oven, my pie bubbled over a little.

5. Allow the pie to serve completely before cutting it to allow everything to set.

Lemon Brownies (Blondies)

I am a huge fan of the taste of lemon, especially in the spring time. My sister and I can eat lemons like oranges, and there is no such thing as lemonade with not enough sugar. When I saw this recipe floating around on Pinterest and Facebook, I had to try it. A baked good with lemon, that is topped with more lemon? It has to be a winner. 

The finished product is very good. A nice light and tart dessert that is not too sweet. I will definitely be making them again. I just have a couple of critiques. First of all, the name is misleading. Brownies imply that chocolate is involved, blondies are the non-chocolate cousin of brownies. Technically, these should be referred to as lemon blondies, not lemon brownies. Name issue aside, the original recipe recommends serving after the second application of glaze. The glaze never sets hard, but I would still recommend giving it an hour or two to set up. This is definitely a dessert that requires a fork, but it is slightly less messy once the glaze sets. Anyways, without further ado: 

What you need: 

3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter

2 eggs

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp lemon zest

Lemon Glaze

1 cup powdered sugar

4 tbsp lemon juice

8 tsp lemon zest

What you do: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8x8 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. 

2. Cream together flour, sugar, salt, and butter. 

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, 2 tbsp lemon juice, and 2 tbsp lemon zest. 

4. Pour egg mixture into flour mixture, beat with an electric mixer for about two minutes, until batter is smooth and creamy. 

5. Pour batter into baking dish and back for 23-25 minutes until edges are golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

6. Allow the blondies to cool completely before making the glaze, combine powdered sugar, 4 tbsp lemon juice, and 8 tsp lemon zest. Pour half of the glaze over the blondies, allow to set for about half an hour.

7. Pour remaining glaze over the blondies, they are now ready to serve. For bet results, allow to set for an hour or two. Slice into bars and serve.

 

Based off a recipe found on Ziplist, which can be found here. 

Pasta and Vegetable Salad with Homemade Italian Dressing

Spring is here, the snow is gone, the weather is warm, and our grill is in full use. Thom and I had been discussing different marinades to use for meats on the grill. This brought us to the topic of how chicken marinaded in Italian dressing is pretty much love on the grill (seriously, go try it); from here we digressed to memories of making Italian dressing at home by opening up the seasoning packet and mixing in vinegar and olive oil. I am not sure if they still make the product or not, but I am sure that it is full of preservatives and junk that we really should not be eating.

On a whim, I searched the internet for a recipe for Italian dressing mix, and to my surprise, I found one that makes multiple batches of Italian dressing. The first round was used on chicken breasts for the grill (surprised?). The finished dressing turned out so awesome that I decided to experiment with it further. When I was a kid, my mom used to make a simple pasta salad with rotini primavera and Italian dressing as a summer side dish. It was simple, yet tasty. This pasta salad is based off that simple recipe, with some added veggies because, well, veggie are cool.

What you need:
1 16oz box of shaped pasta, I used wagon wheels
2 cups of veggies, I used cauliflower, sugar snap peas, and Brussels sprouts, but any combo would work
1 finished batch of Italian dressing (recipe below)

What you do:
1. Boil the pasta until tender, if your veggies require cooking, toss them in with the pasta.
2. Drain your pasta/veggies in a colander, rinse with cold water.
3. Place pasta and veggies in a serving bowl, pour Italian dressing on top and toss.

Italian Dressing Mix, based off recipe that can be found here.
What you need:
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried basil
1 tbsp dried parsley
2 tbsp salt

What you do:
1. Mix all dry ingredients in a container with a tight fitting lid, recipe makes approximately 1/2 cup of mix
2. To make dressing, combine 1/4 cup white vinegar, 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, 2 tbsp water, and 2 tbsp mix.

Asian Noodle Soup

I love perusing Pinterest for recipes and this one caught my eye a few months ago. The blogger that posted the recipe calls it Homemade Ramen, and I guess in a way it is like ramen noodles in that it is very easy and quick to make. At the same time, the soup has a wonderful broth, not the salt packet seasoning packet that comes along with ramen. It is also possible to pronounce all the ingredients in this soup, which is always a plus. Thom and I love this recipe and use it as our go to recipe on days we are feeling under the weather or just too lazy to cook anything.

The original recipe was posted on Frugal by Choice, Cheap by Necessity and can be found here. Thom and I are not onion eaters, so we omitted the green onion and made a couple other small changes.

What you need:
2 cups chicken broth, I use bouillon
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp soy sauce
Buckwheat noodles (found in the Asian section of the supermarket, they come in three bundles of noodles, I use a bundle of noodles of a batch of soup)
3/4 cup broccoli
1 chicken breast
olive oil
ground or freshly grated ginger
garlic powder or diced garlic

What you do:
1. Bring your chicken broth to boil, add the sesame oil, soy sauce, broccoli, and noodles. Boil for about 4 minutes until the noodles are cooked through. I like my broccoli to still be a little crunchy, if you like yours softer, boil the broccoli for a few minutes before adding the noodles.
2. While the soup is cooking, coat the bottom of a skillet with olive oil, add a small amount of ginger and garlic to season the oil. Sautee the chicken breast until cooked through. Slice thinly.
3. Fill your bowl with soup, I find it is easiest to divide the noodles first with a pasta fork, and then pour the broth on top with a ladle. Top with sliced chicken.

That's it! The above recipe is good for two lunch or appetizer sized servings. I have been known to double or triple the recipe for a dinner sized meal. You can also get creative and swap around the veggie and the meat, another good combination is sugar snap peas and shrimp.

Cheesy Cauliflower Pancakes

With our CSA starting up in June, I have been searching Pinterest for vegetable recipes. The last time we went grocery shopping we were able to get a really good price on cauliflower, so I decided to give one of the recipes in my collection a try. Cheesy Cauliflower Pancakes sounded good, and I happened to have all the ingredients in my pantry.

I am happy to report that the recipe did not disappoint. Thom was a little nervous about them at first, but we were both in love with first bite. The flavor and texture are very similar to a potato latke, just instead of potato you are definitely eating cauliflower. This is definitely on our "make again" list.

The original recipe can be found here.

What you need:
1 head of cauliflower
2 large eggs
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (the sharper the better)
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (the original recipe calls for cayenne)
salt to taste
olive oil

What you do:
1. Chop the cauliflower into chunks and boil/steam until tender. Drain well, and mash the cauliflower while it is still warm.
2. Add cheese, eggs, bread crumbs, pepper flakes, and salt to the cauliflower. I added my eggs on top of everything else because the cauliflower is still quite warm and I did not want scrambled eggs. Fold everything together, the mixture will be quite moist.
3. Coat the bottom of a skillet with olive oil over medium high heat. Drop cauliflower by large spoonfuls into the oil, I was able to make three pancakes at a time. Cook until the bottoms are golden, then turn.
4. Place the finished pancakes on a cookie sheet in a warm oven, repeat step three as many times as necessary.