Asparagus Sesame Salad

1 lb asparagus
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs roasted sesame oil
2 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
1/8 tsp coarse salt
1 1/2 cups baby arugula or mesclun salad
2 Tbs sesame seeds

1) Heat a large pan of lightly salted water to boiling over high heat. Peel the asparagus stalks and trim the ends. Cut the stalks diagonally into 1-inch pieces. Blanch in boiling water 3 minutes or until bright green. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking.
2) In a large bowl, combine the vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, cilantro, and salt. Add the asparagus and toss until well combined.
3) To serve, mound some salad greens on each of 4 plates. Spoon the dressed asparagus onto the greens and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Review: This was pretty yummy, but I left out the cilantro. That just sounded odd in an Asian themed dish, when I associate cilantro with Mexican themed dishes. The “dressing” didn’t stick to anything and made a puddle in the bottom of the bowl. So, I had to swish each bite around the dish.

Tacos With Spinach, Corn & Goat Cheese

1 Tbs olive oil
1 14-oz package extra firm tofu—drained, patted dry, and crumbled
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
kosher salt and black pepper
1 10 oz package frozen corn (2 cups), thawed
1 5 oz package baby spinach (about 6 loosely packed cups)
8 small flour tortillas, warmed
3/4 cup crumbled fresh goat cheese (3 oz)
3/4 cup salsa

1) Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tofu, chili powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes.
2) Add the corn and cook, tossing, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Add the spinach and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper and toss until wilted.
3) Fill the tortillas with the tofu mixture, goat cheese, and salsa.

Review: I don’t like extra-firm tofu, but I found that baked tofu is yummy. Mike picked out savory flavor and I cubed it, which is easy to cut. Mike wanted black beans added to this dish, so we could eat it more as a salad. That was a great addition. Also, I couldn’t get the goat cheese to crumble evenly, so I melted it in the skillet with the vegetables, which gave all the vegetables an even coating of goat cheese. This was really yummy and was actually better without a tortilla!!

Angel Hair With Goat Cheese, Broccoli & Toasted Pine Nuts

1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
3 cups broccoli florets (3/4 lb)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or fresh basil) plus 4 to 6 sprigs, for garnish
4 Tbs (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
4 oz goat cheese, crumbled
12 oz angel hair pasta
2 Tbs toasted pine nuts

1) Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil.
2) In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil. Over medium-high heat, saute the broccoli florets, stirring as necessary, 2 to 3 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and reserve until needed.
3) Deglaze the pan with the stock, and add the thyme leaves. Bring to a boil and reduce by half. Add the butter and the goat cheese and stir together until the cheese melts. Keep warm.
4) Meanwhile, add a little salt to the pot of boiling water and cook the pasta until it is al dente. (Cook pasta according to the directions on the package). Drain the pasta well and add to the reserved broccoli in the saute pan. Cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
5) To serve, divide the pasta among 4 heated plates. Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and garnish with a sprig of thyme.

Review: This was incredibly yummy. I’m a big fan of goat cheese and decided to make it goat cheese week. :) I used frozen chopped broccoli and tossed it into the pasta water, one minute before the pasta was done cooking, then drained the pasta and broccoli. That worked really well and was a bit easier than sauteing the broccoli and then deglazing the pan.

Butternut Squash Gratin With Goat Cheese & Hazelnuts

3 1/2 pounds butternut squash (about 2 medium), peeled, seeded, cut into 3/4- to 1-inch cubes (8 cups)
2 Tbs olive oil
Coarse kosher salt
4 Tbs (1/2 stick) butter, divided
3 cups sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only)
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh sage
1 5.5 oz log soft fresh goat cheese
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted, husked, coarsely chopped

1) Preheat oven to 400°F. Place butternut squash cubes and olive oil in large bowl; sprinkle with coarse kosher salt and ground pepper and toss to coat. Spread out squash cubes on large rimmed baking sheet. Roast until just tender and beginning to brown, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes.
2) Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoons butter in heavy medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add sliced leeks and chopped sage; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until tender but not brown, about 15 minutes. Coat 11x7-inch baking dish with remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Spread half of leek mixture over bottom of prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with half of squash and half of cheese. Repeat layering with leeks, squash, and cheese. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.
3) Preheat oven to 375°F. Pour cream evenly over gratin. Sprinkle with toasted chopped hazelnuts. Bake uncovered until gratin is heated through and cream is bubbling, about 30 minutes (40 minutes if previously chilled).

Review: I was super disappointed to find that Costco did not have the already diced butternut squash today. In fact, I cried inside. So, I had to buy the whole squash and dice it up. That is such an arduous task!!! But, after I tasted this, I knew it was worth it. This is such a great blend of flavors that I wished I’d doubled the recipe - I’d willingly eat it all week. Keep in mind, it did not take 35 minutes for my squash to become tender. At 30 minutes it was almost mush. I cooked it with the rest of the ingredients for only 20 minutes and I probably cooked it 5 minutes too long! Keep an eye on the dish and shorten the cooking times as necessary.

 

 

Rice With Squash & Cumin

5 to 6 assorted small squashes, zucchini, yellow summer squashes, patty pans
1/2 cup olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 tsp ground cumin
1 to 2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 cups cooked rice, (aromatic is nice)
1 bunch parsley leaves, washed and chopped roughly

1) Trim squashes and cut into small 1/4-inch dice. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a frying pan and add 1/3 of the diced squashes and some salt and pepper. Saute small batches briefly over high heat stirring often until lightly browned and slightly soft. Transfer to a bowl. 

2) Cook diced onion in remaining olive oil in frying pan over medium heat 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook briefly. Add cumin, reduce heat to low, cook stirring about 2 minutes, and then add to squashes in bowl. 

3) Add rice and chopped parsley and adjust seasonings. Serve immediately. 

Review:  I used bulgur instead of rice, to keep the GI index low.  Mike and I weren't big fans of this dish.  There was too much parsley and not enough flavor.   Well, maybe not enough of the right flavors.  I do believe cumin and parsley is not a good combination.  This dish will need some tweaking, which will require a bit of thinking. 

Spaghetti With Pumpkin Sauce

1 pkg spaghetti, fettuccine or linguine
8 oz mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1/4 cup chopped shallots
4 Tbs butter
2 Tbs flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups vegetable broth
15 oz can pumpkin puree
2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
14 oz can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1/4 lb Gruyere
3 Tbs shredded Parmesan
1/4 pint whipping cream
Grated Parmesan, for garnish
Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

1) Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.

2) Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat on stovetop, cook shallots in butter for 30 seconds.  Add the mushrooms, and continue to cook until the mushrooms have browned. Stir in the flour and brown slightly. Add the wine and broth, stirring until thick. Add and stir in basil leaves,garlic powder and pumpkin puree.  Add artichoke hearts, Gruyere cheese, Parmesan cheese and whipping cream to sauce.  Cook slowly on low heat until ready to serve.

3) Serve sauce over noodles. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves.

Review:  This was initially a very difficult recipe that involved making fettuccine with pumpkin puree and it was served with chicken it.  I liked the sauce idea and had some frozen pumpkin puree in the freezer, left over from a can used a couple of weeks ago.  The original recipe is here.  However, I was not about to make a chicken dish, nor was I up to the challenge of making such fancy pasta.  I also decided I could reduce the amount of sauce.   So, this is actually an original recipe at this point!  Once the sauce began to cool, it congealed and became too thick.  I might increase the amount of broth next time by 1 cup.  It was super yummy, however and I really liked it.  I'm a big fan of pumpkin in normal foods, and not just an ingredient for pie.  :)

Pasta With Black Olive Sauce: Stringozzi Alle Olive

1 pkg spaghetti
3 Tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 lb white mushrooms, cut into thick slices
2 cups pitted black olives
1 bunch Italian parsley, finely chopped to yield 1/4 cup
1/2 cup butter
1/4 tsp red chile flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Parmigiano-Reggiano, for grating

1) Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.

2) Meanwhile, in a 12 to 14-inch skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat until smoking. Add the garlic and mushrooms and saute over high heat until the mushrooms are browned. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the sauteed mushrooms and garlic, the olives and the parsley and puree. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

3) In the same saute pan, heat the butter over high heat until it foams and subsides. Add the olive puree and chile flakes and cook 5 minutes. Season to taste.

4) Toss pasta in the saute pan with the sauce. Divide evenly among 4 warmed pasta bowls, grate Parmigiano-Reggiano over, and serve immediately. 

Review:  I bought a can of chopped black olives, as it was cheaper than buying 2 cups of whole olives!  However, I fear their quality isn't good and I got a few pit pieces.  Ick.  And, this is more of a pesto than a sauce.  I liked the taste, but as you can see, the appearance is a bit offsetting.