{WWDH}Onions!

This week’s theme – chosen by Kayte – is ONIONS!!  I love cooking with onions.  So much flavor and so many things you can do with them.  Usually onions are NOT the major ingredient unless you are making Onion Soup or Onion Rings but in this recipe they are the star of the show.

Caramelized Onion and Potato Stacks

The onions are browned first in a skillet and then layered in a muffin tin with slices of potatoes.  Drizzled with melted butter and moistened with chicken broth {I used Veggie}  the onions caramelize and add their flavor to the potatoes.  The recipe called for thyme sprigs but the Man doesn’t care for it so….. {and really neither do I}  Super simple!!

I made 1/2 of the recipe in large muffin cups and they were done in about an hour.  While the recipe didn’t call for salt and pepper I did add some before I cooked the potatoes.

These are a good alternative to your everyday potatoes and made a great side.

The recipe is on Donna’s Website.   

More onions -> Onions! Any way you slice ’em!

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{IHCC} Potluck with Curtis Stone

I had one more recipe of Curtis’s I really wanted to try but never got the chance while he was out ‘assigned’ chef for I Heart Cooking Clubs.

asparagus and parmesan risotto

Y’all know how much I love risotto so I couldn’t pass this one up.  Seems like every time I went to make it I didn’t have one of the ingredients.  THIS time every thing came together.  YUM!

About 8 cups store-bought vegetable stock

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 shallots, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 Tble dried thyme leaves {I didn’t have any fresh}

2 cups Arborio rice

3/4 cup dry white wine

1 1/2 pounds thin asparagus, woody ends removed, stalks cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, cut in small pieces

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1/4 cup mascarpone cheese

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler, for garnish

Bring the vegetable stock to a simmer in the mircowave and keep warm.

Heat the oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat and  sauté shallots, garlic, and thyme leaves until the shallots are tender but not browned. Add the rice and sauté just long enough to  coat with the oil.Add the wine and cook for 3 minutes,or until it is absorbed.

Add the hot veggie stock 3/4 cup at a time stirring after each addition until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rise is al dente
 

Add the asparagus cook for 2 more minutes.  Remove the pan  from the heat.  Add the butter, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and mascarpone cheese and stir until the butter has melted and the cheeses are just incorporated. Add the parsley, mint, and lemon.juice.  season the risotto generously with salt and pepper.

Garnish with the shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano, and serve.

Curtis’s risotto was a beautiful white with the green asparagus shining through.  My veggie stock was really dark so the risotto is very dark.  But it was full of flavor.  The  mascarpone, which I would NEVER have thought of using, added a certain sweetness to the risotto.  And the big shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano….  nuff said!   I think I could live off of this risotto.

The recipe is from Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone.  Page 133}  You can find the original recipe his website as well.

Want more POTLUCK?  Visit IHCC.

 

 

 

{CC#10} Curried Quinoa

Quinoa has become my new best friend. I eat it as a side.  As a cold or hot salad.  Instead of rice sometimes.  It is good, and good for you.  Finding another GOOD quinoa recipe is always a plus.  Like this one from Colorado Farmers’ Market Cookbook – my book for October’s CookBook Countdown.

Red bell peppers, onion, and garlic cooked with curry powder and peas before being added to the toasted quinoa to cook.  How can you beat that?

I did add a little salt at the end since the recipe did not call for it and next time I will ‘up’ the amount of curry powder.  1 tsp just wasn’t enough but I like lots of curry flavor in my dishes.

The recipe is on page 104 of the Colorado Farmers’ Market Cookbook.

Since the recipe can be found on line I will not include it here.  Curried Quinoa

I’m linking this post with Cookbook Countdown hosted by Kitchen Flavours and Emily’s Cooking (Makan2).

 

{SRC} I’m Loving It!!

It’s the third Monday in October.  While that may not mean much to many of you it means a lot to some of us.  It’s Group C Reveal Day for Secret Recipe Club.By this time each month many of us have browsed through our ‘assigned’ blog and chosen what recipe(s) we want to cook.  Some of us chose 1 or 2. I like to use three so I can get a full idea of what my Blogger is all about.

“I am on a never ending quest for healthier eating. Oh, I totally enjoy fries, and burgers and chocolate, but I try to make the majority of our meals as healthy and unprocessed as possible. Then, in moderation we can enjoy other things that we don’t have as often anymore. I’ve also learned how to tweak some of those old “favorites” to make them a bit healthier. “

So says Kirstin of Loving Life. I think that sums up Kirstin’s food philosophy.  It is a journal of her life and the recipes within it. Good days, bad days, but always great recipes.

I started out making Kirstin’s Cauliflower  Pizza Crust.  Like most of you I have seen a ton of recipes using a cauliflower crust for pizza and I have wanted to try it.  And there it was, right there on Kirstin’s blog.

The crust is made from ‘riced’ cauliflower, eggs, cheese, and seasoning.  It gets nice and crispy around the edges.  I topped it with marinara, mushrooms, black olives and lots of cheese.   If you are looking for a gluten free alternative this is what you need to try.  It wasn’t bad.  But I think I will stick to my bread crust.  But that’s just me.

I make bread every week.  The Man eats sandwiches and store bought just isn’t right.  Too fluffy.  Too white.  So every week – Whole Wheat Bread.  This week when I needed bread I used Kirstin’s recipe for  Multigrain Bread.  

It is very similar to the Whole Wheat Bread I make but has MORE!!  She adds sunflower seeds, 7 or 10 grain cereal and oatmeal.  The oatmeal is supposed to go ON the bread but when Kirstin said she had trouble keeping the oatmeal ON the bread I decided to put it IN the bread instead.  I also used 1/2 water and 1/2 milk instead of all water for cooking the cereal.  The Man really liked it.  Dense and moist.  Very healthy!   I think I will this bread from now on.  {Kirstin – used the bread machine to mix the dough but baked it free-form.  It worked just fine.  Next I will bake it in the machine as well.}

Ok.  One more.

  

I made Kirstin’s Quinoa Squash Pilaf for lunch today.  Delicious!   This is the dish where she mentioned she wanted to make her meals healthier and less processed.  This one – perfect.  Just the right amount of seasoning and veggies added to the quinoa.  The only change I made – I added some sliced mushrooms.

1 c. Quinoa rinsed
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) vegetable broth {I used all broth so two cups of broth.}
1/4 cup water {NOPE!}
2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced 1 medium yellow summer squash, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 c. chopped leeks (white portions only)….I used onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 large tomato, chopped
1 Tbs. minced fresh cilantro (I used parsley)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (I left these out)
2 c. fresh baby spinach, chopped
I cup sliced mushrooms {My addition}

In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, toast the quinoa over medium heat until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.
In a small saucepan, bring broth and water to a boil. Add the quinoa. Reduce the heat; simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Set aside.
In a large nonstick skillet, saute the zucchini, mushrooms, yellow squash, leeks and garlic in oil until tender. Lower heat to medium low and stir in tomato, cilantro, seasonings and quinoa. Mix in the spinach and cook until spinach is wilted.

All in all I had a lovely visit with Kirstin. I have several more recipes I want to go back to. Thanks, Kirstin.

Want more “Seecret” goodies. Click the FROG!

 

{IHCC} Hello, Heidi!

This month we said good-bye to Curtis Stone and Hello to Heidi Swanson.  Heidi is a vegetarian chef with several cookbooks with  lots of tasty recipes  as well as her blog with even more.  This will be a fun 6 month!

Besides saying Hello to Heidi I am also saying good morning as the first recipe of hers I used was for …

Coconut Macaroon Pancakes

This is probably the first time I have every made pancakes with so little flour (1/4 cup) and so much coconut (3 cups!) along with 14 oz of coconut milk.  They were nicely sweet without having to use sugar {altho’ Heidi does sprinkle a little brown sugar on the top of the pancakes while cooking}.

These came out a little browner than I would have liked.  I blame it entirely on they griddle having a bad morning.  No matter how much I sprayed the pan they stuck.  And browned!  Lord KNOWS I would never  burn over brown anything!  Brown or not they were tasty.  I drizzled with a little honey and didn’t, and this is unusual for me, use ANY butter on my pancakes.  But then why ruin a good vegan pancake!  These were like eating coconut macaroon cookies.  Who says you cannot eat cookies for Breakfast??

I found the recipe at Heidi’s blog 101 Cookbooks.

For more welcoming recipes from Heidi Swanson visit I Heart Cooking Clubs!

It’s going to be a fun 6 months – especially for someone who is NOT a big veggie fan!

 

{EwE} Savvy Salad

This week’s theme, thanks to Kayte, is Salads.  Now, salad can mean just about anything – pasta, green, potato, fruit – so this was a wide open category.

We eat lots of green salads so I wanted something different.

Pasta tossed with celery, maters, carrots, and red cabbage (I left out the red onion) with a dressing made with Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, and red cider vinegar.  The dressing was a lot like the one I used to use for my broccoli pasta salad but not sweet.  This would also be good with some sunflower seeds thrown in.  Or some squash, zucchini, shrooms.

I liked the salad.  But I would like it more if the dressing was sweeter.

The recipe is from Ellie’s Comfort Food Fix page 250.

For more salads visit Eating with Ellie – Savvy Salads.  If you want to join us just cook something from Ellie in the theme, blog, and comment.  Easy Peasy.  We’d love to have you.

 

{EwE} Melons, Melons, Everywhere

Here in the deep south Summer means Watermelon.  Every spring we plant a watermelon patch.  Last year the weather was not cooperative. THIS year we made up for it….

We have given so many watermelon away to friends and family this year that they may be sick of them.  We, however, are not.  Watermelon every day is a great way to survive the heat of summer.  Especially this summer – HEAT DOME!!

Good thing Kayte chose melons for our theme this week in Eating with Ellie.  And good thing Ellie had this recipe for Watermelon Blueberry Pops.  And did I mention it is also Blueberry season?

The only change I made was to use lemon juice rather than lime juice.  BTW all you need is 3 cups of watermelon so buy a small one and freeze away!

You can find the recipe on page 250 of Ellie’s So Easy or  HERE.

What else is on the Melon Buffet this week? And if you want to join Eating with Ellie the themes are on the side.  Just make one of Ellie’s dishes and post a comment.  We’ll visit!

 

{EwE} It isn’t easy being Green!!

Whenever I hear those words I always think of one thing.

But that’s not what’s on the menu today!

When Gaye suggested that theme I know she was thinking of veggies instead.  Green veggies!  Or maybe lime! Or maybe Pistachios!

Whatever she was thinking I went with asparagus!

asparagus ‘pasta’

Ellie calls this pasta because the stalks of asparagus are shaved into thin strips.  Not an easy task if your stalks are rather thin.  But quite tasty when quickly sauteed with garlic, onions, and lemon then topped with some Parmesan.

I will definitely make this again but maybe not as ‘pasta’.

The recipe is from Ellie’s weeknight wonders (page 246) and it is a very quick side – less than 15 minutes (not counting the shaving!).

More green on the Eating with Ellie site.

 

 

 

 

 

{CC#6} Lemon and Asparagus Risotto

There is just something about risotto. It’s not easy to make. Well, it’s easy, it just takes a while. All the stirring and adding broth and stirring. But with the right combination of flavors it is well worth the effort. And this risotto was well worth the effort.

This is Julie Shafer’s Risotto with Lemon and Asparagus

Julie says she learned to make risotto as a small girl cooking with her mother, grandmother, and aunts.  While we think of risotto as something fancy, she says it is just a staple of Italian cooking.  She also suggests that this is just a basic recipe and any local, seasonal veggie can be used.

2 lemons
2 small bundles asparagus
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 tsp unsalted butter
2 Tbl olive oil
2 cups Arboio or Carnaroli rice
2 – 3 quarts homemade or low-sodium store bought chicken broth, heated.

Zest the lemons then juice them and strain the juice.

Prepare the asparagus by peeling {which I did not do} and cutting off the tough ends.  Cut into 1″ pieces and steam to crisp.  {I am not a fan of steamed asparagus so I sauteed mine lightly in a little butter until just done.}

Sautee the onion in butter and olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.  The onions should be fragrant and transparent.  Add in the rice and stir until the rice is well coated.  Season with salt and pepper.  {Salt and pepper are NOT in the recipe so I seasoned lightly and then later seasoned to taste.} Cook until the grains are almost clear.

Add the hot broth in to the rice/onion mix one ladle at at time and stir until it is absorbed. Continue this process until the rice is ALMOST creamy.

Add in the lemon juice, zest, steamed asparagus and one last addition of broth.  Cook for one additional minute.

Remove from the heat and add in the Parmesan to taste.  Add additional Salt and Pepper if needed. Let sit, covered, for about 5 minutes then serve.

Garnish with shaved Parmesan (optional)

This was really good.  I think I would use a little less lemon juice next time because I think it tended to overpower the asparagus.  You many not need a full 3 quarts of the broth.  I made 1/2 of the recipe and did not used a full 4 cups.

This is definitely a repeat.  I can imagine how it good it will be with different mushrooms, or maybe some spinach, or even just different cheeses.  It is very adaptable.

The recipe is on page 639 of O’Niel’s One Big Table,  an eclectic  collection of recipes from home cooks around the United States.

I’m linking this post with Cookbook Countdown hosted by Kitchen Flavours and Emily’s Cooking (Makan2).

 

{CC#4} Keller’s Sweet Potato Chips

These are tricky little devils, but well worth the watchful work.  Temp too high = burnt. Temp too low = soggy.  Chips too thin = burn quickly.  Chips to thick = soggy.  If you don’t get it JUST right…

I much prefer Sweet Potato Fries or Chips to regular potatoes..  They are sweet, lower in carbs, and better for you  Even if you fry them…..

All you have to do is slice a sweet potato – thin but not too thin – and fry them quickly.  Then sprinkle with Kosher salt.  DONE!!

My first batch burned quickly because I used the thinest setting on the Mandolin.  Way too thin.  The next setting was perfect but I had to cook them a little longer and really watch the heat because if it’s too hot…… cause if you fry them too long in too low heat they get greasy.

But I finally got it right.  And they were worth it.

The recipe is on page 232 of Keller’s ad hoc.

 “I’m linking this post with Cookbook Countdown hosted by Kitchen Flavours and Emily’s Cooking (Makan2).