Broccoli Salad

here's a variation on a traditional broccoli salad

Ingredients:
5-6 cups broccoli florets
1/2 cup cooked bacon, crumbled
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted (about 8 minutes at 300, stirring once)
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1 cup frozen peas, thawed, or fresh
1/2 cup raisins (which I didn't add, but it just tastes better with them)


1 cup plain yogurt (or mayo. I'm not a huge mayo fan, but I found out it does taste better with it. I tried making my own for the first time. I need to try again :)
The yogurt is the healthier way to go)
2 Tbsp. vinegar
1/4 cup honey


Combine broccoli, bacon, almonds, onion, peas, and raisins. In a separate bowl whisk together remaining ingredients. Add to salad and chill before serving.


serves 4-6

Strawberry Watermelon Smoothie

A refreshing drink perfect for a Memorial Day barbecue or for any outdoor occasion


Blend together in a blender until smooth:
3 c. frozen strawberries
3 c. watermelon, cubed and frozen
1/2 c. vanilla yogurt (or plain plus 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract)
1/2 c. cream
1/4 c. lemon or orange juice
sweetener if desired (I added just a little agave nectar)


serves 4

Steamed Artichoke

frost kissed but still just as tasty

1. Pull off any smaller leaves towards base and on the stem, cut excess stem, leaving up to one inch. You can also trim the top and the tips of the leaves, but I think this is more for looks.
2. Fill large pot with a few inches of water (for more flavor you can add a garlic clove, bay leaf, and lemon slice) and insert steaming basket. Add artichokes, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook 25-45 minutes or until outer leaves can be easily pulled off.
3. Serve with a dipping sauce. I like a lemon and garlic butter sauce or a mayo, sour cream, and parmesan sauce.


For first time artichoke eaters I found some very helpful instructions. Don't be intimidated, they are a lot of fun to eat. Our 3 year absolutely loves them, probably because she has a blast pulling off leaves and dipping them.

1. Pull off outer petals, one at a time.

 

2. Dip white fleshy end in melted butter or sauce. Tightly grip the other end of the petal. Place in mouth, dip side down, and pull through teeth to remove soft, pulpy, delicious portion of the petal. Discard remaining petal.

 

Continue until all of the petals are removed.

 

3. With a knife or spoon, scrape out and discard the inedible fuzzy part (called the "choke") covering the artichoke heart. The remaining bottom of the artichoke is the heart. Cut into pieces and dip into sauce to eat.

 

Roasted Potatoes

A great side dish for any time of the year

Ingredients:

potatoes (I like red or yukon gold)

salt (preferably coarse sea salt) and pepper to taste

 1/4 c.+ olive oil

herbs (dried or fresh)

1. Preheat oven to 450. Cube potatoes and boil for 3 minutes. Drain well. 

2. Spread out in a single layer in a roasting pan. Drizzle generously with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and herbs (if using fresh sprinkle during the last 5 minutes of roasting). Toss everything together until evenly coated.

3. Roast for about 25 minutes or until golden and crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

Pinapple-Mango Salsa

This salsa is so fresh and good and easy to make (and reminds me of summer!)

It is yummy with tortilla chips or on top of chicken or seafood.

Ingredients:

2 c. chopped fresh pineapple

1 c. chopped mango

1 c. chopped red or orange bell pepper

1/2 c. sweet onion, finely chopped

1/4 c. lemon juice

3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro

1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped (or more if you like spicy)

1. Mix ingredients in bowl, cover and and chill 4-24 hours.

Apple Muffins

1. mix together in medium bowl:
2 c. flour (I did half whole wheat and maybe all whole wheat would work well)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

2. beat together:
1/2 c. butter, softened
2 eggs
1 c. sugar (I did half white and half brown)
3. then mix in:
1 1/2 c. apples (1/2 chopped and half peeled and grated)
1 1/4 tsp. vanilla
4. gradually blend in the flour mixture. Spoon into greased or paper lined muffin pan.
5.  For topping mix 1/3 c. brown sugar, 1 Tbsp. flour, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon and cut in 1 Tbsp. butter until mixture is like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle on tops of muffins.
Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean

Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:

12 extra large white mushrooms (or 24 small)

1/4 c. diced tomatoes (optional)

1/4 c. diced artichoke hearts (optional)

1/4 c. onion, diced (I used green)

couple Tbsp. fresh herbs, chopped (I used parsley, thyme, and oregano), some reserved for garnish

2-4 cloves garlic, minced

3 slices bacon

dash Worcestershire sauce

1/4 c. freshly grated parmesan

3-4 oz cream cheese

1/4 c. bread crumbs

salt and pepper

2 Tbsp. olive oil or butter for frying

1. Grease baking dish. Rinse and dry mushrooms.  Remove stems and chop enough for about 1 c. Place caps on baking dish.

2. Heat olive oil in frying pan, add mushrooms and onions and cook over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes, add garlic and cook for additional 1 minute, until mushrooms and onions are tender and slightly browned. Remove from heat and add cream cheese, tomatoes, artichokes, herbs, bacon, parmesan, W. sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. mix until combined.

3. Fill mushroom caps, press into breadcrumbs. Bake at 350 25-40 minutes, depending on the mushroom size (mine were big guys so they took almost 40 minutes). Remove from oven and sprinkle with reserved herbs.

Pan-Fried Asparagus

So simple, yet so good.

Ingredients

1 bunch asparagus

1/8-1/4 c. butter

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

3 garlic cloves, minced or crushed

1. Melt butter in frying pan. Add olive oil, salt, pepper.

2. Add asparagus and fry for about 5-8 minutes or until crisp tender, stirring a few times to make sure they cook evenly. Add garlic during the last few minutes so the garlic doesn't burn (like mine almost did).

Serves 4

Baked Cauliflower with Bread Crumb Topping

Ingredients:

1 large head cauliflower

1/2 c. bread crumbs

1 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

1/4 c. butter, melted

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp. salt

1 pinch red pepper flakes

1 pinch dried oregano

1. Clean cauliflower and trim off leaves. Place cauliflower into a steamer basket (or directly in pot if you don't have one) and add one inch of water (if you have chicken broth you can use this instead for more flavor). Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook for about 20 minutes or until tender.

2. Preheat oven to 375°F. In a medium bowl, mix together remaining ingredients. 

3. Place cauliflower in baking dish, brush with a little melted butter or oil and coat with breadcrumb mixture.

4. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Lentils with Mushrooms and Bacon

I don't know if lentils are more of a girl food, but it seems the majority of men aren't super excited when they are on the menu. Adding bacon should entice those who might be hesitant :)


*Ingredients:
1 1/4 c. brown or green lentils, rinsed
1 quart (4 c.) cold water or chicken broth
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces mushrooms (I used cremini), coarsely chopped
3 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped, plus more for garnish
1 tsp. lemon juice
6-12 slices bacon, preferably thick cut
grated cheese, optional (about 1 cup, since cheese makes anything taste good and makes the good taste better)


1. Place lentils in a large saucepan, cover with water or broth, and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer gently until tender, about 35 minutes. Drain well (oops, I forgot this part but it turned out fine).
2. Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, add the onion and saute just until softened and pale golden, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes more. Add the butter and the mushrooms and saute until the mushrooms are tender. Add the lentils, 3 Tbsp. parsley, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and heat just until warmed through.
3. In a separate skillet fry the bacon until crisp.
4. Sprinkle the lentils with parsley, bacon, left whole or crumbled into pieces and cheese (We used cumin gouda). Homemade bread or some fresh hearty rolls are a delicious accompaniment.

Serves 6
* all ingredients are available at the Green Barn


Here is another lentil recipe that I think is yummy. It is from one of my mom's old cookbooks called The More With Less Cookbook (or something like that)


Sweet & Sour Lentils
1 c. lentils, rinsed
2 c. water plus 2 tsp. Better than Bouillon beef base or 2 c. beef broth
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. salt
-bring the above ingredients to a boil and simmer 20 minutes


1/4 c. apple or pineapple juice
1/4 c. cider vinegar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/8 tsp ground cloves
some sauteed onion
-add the above to cooked lentils, heat until bubbly.
serve over rice
You can also add sausage or chicken
4 servings