Date & Apple Salad
Sometimes it's nice to have a "meaty" salad for lunch or dinner.
INGREDIENTS
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Diced Red Onion
1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1/2 Cup Pitted & Sliced Dates
1 Head Frisee Lettuce
4 Cups Spinach
1 Sliced Apple
1/2 Cup Chopped Pistachios
1 Sliced Pear
2 Sliced Radishes
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
In a small size bowl mix the olive oil, vinegar, onion and Dijon mustard. Set aside. Cut the frisee lettuce into bite size pieces. In a large size mixing bowl add the dates, lettuce, spinach, apples, pistachios, pears, radishes, salt and pepper. Mix the salad and then toss with the dressing. Serve immediately. Serves 4
Simple Green Pea Salad
So easy and so delicious!
INGREDIENTS
10 Ounces Cooked Peas (Fresh or Frozen)
8 Ounces Sliced Water Chestnuts
1/2 Cup Chopped Green Onions
2 Chopped Hard Boiled Eggs
2 Ounces Diced Pimientos
1/2 Cup Sliced Celery
Dressing:
1/3 Cup Light Mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
In a small size bowl mix together the mayonnaise, mustard, garlic salt and pepper. Chill the dressing while you are making the salad. In a large size bowl mix together the peas, water chestnuts, green onions, boiled eggs, pimientos and celery. Pour the dressing over the pea salad and combine all of the ingredients. Place in the refrigerator and chill for at least 3 hours. Serves 6
Fresh Corn Soup
I am certainly enjoying the corn harvest and have been making all sorts of corn dishes like corn salad, corn salsa, corn chowder, corn cakes and corn bread. Try making my corn soup with freshly picked corn. Make sure to use the fresh picked corn right away as it does have a tendency to lose some of its sweetness.
INGREDIENTS
1 Diced Onion
3 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
4 1/2 Cups Water
1 Tablespoon Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
5 Ears Freshly Picked Corn
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
Carefully cut the kernels off the ears of corn. To do this, stand each ear of corn upright on its wide end, then use a serrated knife to carefully saw down the length of the cob, rotating and repeating until all of the kernels are removed. Set the kernels aside. Melt the butter in a large heavy soup pot. Add the diced onion, lemon juice and 1/4 cup of water. Cover and cook over a medium heat for 15 minutes. Add the rest of the water and bring to a boil. Add the corn kernels and simmer over a low heat for 10 minutes. In batches puree in a blender or food processor. Pour the pureed soup through a mesh strainer back into the cooking pot. Add the salt and 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper. Stir and heat for 5 minutes over a medium heat. Remove from the heat and ladle into serving bowls. Garnish with the remaining freshly ground pepper. Serves 4
Salmon & Vegetable Bake
Here is the perfect Sunday dinner dish. You won’t need to do much, but put everything in foil pouches, pop in the oven and go about your afternoon or evening. You can cook this dish in parchment paper if you choose to instead of foil.
INGREDIENTS
1 Pound Fresh Skinless Salmon (3/4 Inch Thick)
4 Sliced Carrots
2 Cups Sliced Mushrooms
5 Sliced Green Onions (Including Green Part)
2 Teaspoons Grated Orange Peel
2 Tablespoons Fresh Herbs (Basil, Oregano, Thyme, Tarragon)
1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
4 Halved Garlic Cloves
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Sliced Oranges
Preheat your oven to 350° F. Rinse the salmon and pat dry with paper towels. Cut the salmon into four serving size pieces and set aside. Fill a small saucepan with 2 cups of water. Place the sliced carrots in the saucepan boil for just 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain and set aside. Tear off four large pieces of heavy foil. The foil pieces should be about 24 inch by 18 inches. Fold each piece of foil in half to make an 18×12 inch piece. In a large size bowl combine the carrots, mushrooms, green onions,garlic, orange peel, herbs, kosher salt and pepper. Gently toss to combine. Divide the vegetables among the four pieces of foil. Make sure to place the vegetables in the center of each piece of foil. Drizzle each with olive oil and then top the salmon pieces. Place the orange slices on top of the salmon pieces. Seal the edges of the foil with a double fold. Place the foil packets in a large baking pan. Bake for 35 minutes. You will want the salmon to flake when you open a packet to check for doneness. Remove from the oven and open the packets carefully so that the steam will escape. Transfer the packets to each dinner plate. Serves 4
Cipollini Glazed Onions
Cipollini or Italian pearl onions are noted for their sweetness and flat shape. To peel easily, drop them whole into boiling water for 3 minutes. Immediately transfer to cold water. Cut the root end and gently squeeze toward the stem end.
INGREDIENTS
16 Ounces Cipollini Onions
1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter
3 Cloves Minced Garlic
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Cup White Wine
1 Tablespoon Sugar
Preheat your oven to 350° F. In a medium size sauté pan melt the butter over a medium high heat. Add the cipollini onions and the kosher salt. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and sugar. Cook for 3 minutes to glaze the onions. Add the white wine. Place all of the combined ingredients into a medium sized greased baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 20 minutes. Serves 6
Twice Baked Potatoes
Talk about a guilty pleasure! Talk about the best of both worlds! I love baked potatoes and I love mashed potatoes. As a matter of fact, I don’t think that I have met a potato that I didn’t like. Twice Baked Potatoes takes some effort, but isn’t complicated. The payoff, however, is huge.
INGREDIENTS
4 Medium Baking Potatoes
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
1/4 Cup Half & Half
1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter
1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 Tablespoon Chives
1 Cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Preheat your oven to 400° F. Scrub the potatoes and pat dry. Pierce the potatoes with a fork. Place in the oven and bake on the center rack for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven let stand for 10 minutes. Hold each potato with an oven mitt or dish towel and cut a lengthwise slice off the top. The potatoes will look like little canoes. Carefully scoop out the insides and place into a bowl. Make sure that you don’t scoop all of the insides out so the potatoes hold their shape. Mash the potato pulp with an electric mixer on a low speed. Add the butter, half & half, sour cream, salt, pepper, garlic powder and chives. Beat for 2 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese. Spoon the mashed potato mixture back into the potato shells. Place onto a parchment paper covered baking sheet. Sprinkle the remaining cheddar cheese over the tops of the potatoes. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and serve hot. Serves 4
Sweet Potato & Apple Gratin
Fall is around the corner and my Sweet Potato & Apple Gratin is the perfect fall dish. It’s easy to make and a real crowd pleaser.
INGREDIENTS
3 Cups Thinly Sliced Granny Smith Apples
1 Teaspoon Fresh Lemon Juice
1/4 Cup Maple Syrup
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Melted Butter
1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
2 Slices White Bread
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
2 Pounds Peeled and Chopped Sweet Potatoes
Preheat your oven to 400° F. In a large size bowl combine the apples and lemon juice. Add the sweet potatoes, maple syrup, butter, salt and pepper. Grease a 13×9 baking dish. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes and then stir the mixture. Bake for another 20 minutes after stirring. Put the bread in a blender or food processor and pulse until you have coarse bread crumbs. In a small size bowl combine the bread crumbs, olive oil and nutmeg. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the potato mixture. Bake for another 30 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 8
Spinach Salad
This is a delicious main-dish salad. For a refreshing side-dish salad, simply reduce the portions and omit the egg and bacon. This salad pairs very well with roast chicken or a thick grilled pork or veal chop.
INGREDIENTS
Salad:
2 Hard Boiled Eggs (Peeled)
3 Pounds Flat Leaf or Baby Spinach
6 Diced White Mushrooms
6 Strips Crumbled Bacon
6 Slivered Green Onions
1 Sliced Green Apple
10 Toasted Whole Pecans
1 Cup Garlic Croutons
Dressing:
1 Tablespoon Honey Dijon Mustard
1 Minced Garlic Clove
1 Tablespoon Minced Fresh Dill
1 1/2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
6 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Heavy Cream
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients together until nice and creamy. Press the egg yolks through a fine mesh strainer and finely chop the egg whites. Keep the egg yolks and the egg whites separate. Set aside. Add the spinach and mushrooms to the salad bowl and toss well to coat. Divide among 4 serving bowls. Sprinkle the egg whites, bacon, green onions and egg yolks around the top of the salad. Arrange the apple slices around the outside of the salad and layer several of the apple slices with the toasted pecans. Top with croutons. Pass around the dressing for everyone to help themselves. Serves 4
Burrata Stuffed Peppers
I love this dish. You can either bake the burrata or leave it at room temperature. It is so easy to make and absolutely delicious.
INGREDIENTS
4 Small to Medium Sized Red Bell Peppers
16 Ounces Burrata
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Herb Paste
Preheat your oven to 350° F. Slice off the top of each pepper and then scoop out and throw away the membrane. Cut a think sliver off the bottom of the peppers so they will sit flat. Put the peppers on a parchment paper and drizzle the peppers with the olive oil. Place the peppers in the oven for 10 minutes. While the peppers are baking put the burrata in a medium size bowl and mix with a fork. Remove the peppers from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Fill the peppers with the burrata and place back in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter. Dot the herb paste on top of the burrata and all over the serving plate. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 4
Organic Green Pea Pesto
Don’t know what to do with all of these wonderful summer vegetables? Here is a Pesto that you can make all year round. Delicious!
INGREDIENTS
10 Ounces Organic Cooked Peas
2 Ounces Fresh Basil Leaves
10 Garlic Cloves
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
1 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Cup Toasted Pistachios
You may use either organic fresh peas or frozen for this recipe. Mix all of the ingredients in either a blender or food processor and puree. Makes about 2 cups. Last night I tossed this pesto with 3 cups of cavatelli pasta (al dente) and it was excellent. Serves 4
