Goat Cheese and Wheat Berry Salad

What to do with that awesome goat cheese that you bought for those delicious sweet potatoes a few days ago? Well, no fear, I have an answer (besides eating it straight up because it's just so dang delicious). You can make this warm wheat berry salad filled with lots of goodness (sweet dates, chewy walnuts, fresh argula) and top it with goat cheese and an orange vinaigrette.

I took this to work with me for my lunch and found myself watching the clock the entire time -not to go home, but to be able to eat this! I really liked the contrast between the warm wheat berries and the cool crumbled cheese. Also, the edamame pumps up the protein and the color =).

Goat Cheese and Wheat Berry Salad
Adapted from Health Food for Living

4-5 servings

1 cup uncooked wheat berries, rinsed

Kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

zest and juice from 1 orange

1 tsp coarse ground Dijon mustard

1 tsp pure maple syrup

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup chopped pitted soft Medjool dates, about 6 dates (or 8 smaller ones, if you can't find Medjool)  2/3 cup walnut halves, toasted and chopped

10oz bag of frozen, shelled edemame, prepared according to package directions

3 big handfuls arugula leaves

1/3 cup crumbled soft goat cheese

Cover wheat berries by 1 inch with water in a medium saucepan set over high heat. 

Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until chewy, about 50 minutes (taste and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes if you'd like). Drain and transfer to a medium bowl.

While wheat berries are cooking, whisk together the orange zest and juice, mustard, maple syrup, & olive oil in a small bowl to make the vinaigrette. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

While the drained cooked wheat berries are still warm, toss with the orange vinaigrette. 

Fold in the chopped dates, walnuts, and edamame. Fold in the arugula leaves until slightly wilted. Serve topped with the crumbled goat cheese.

Sweet Potatoes with goat cheese, roasted grapes and drizzled with honey

Ok, so I know I overcooked my steak, but it was so good that I don't even care. Especially 'cus these potatoes are awesome! I kept thinking, "omgosh, this is soooo good" while I was eating these sweet potatoes.

On an uneventful Thursday evening, this definitely made my night a whole lot better. I think it even gave me the motivation to finish my International Trade Policy reading. Anything to get through all of that reading is totally worth it in my book, and if it tastes amazing, all the better.

Please please please make these sweet potatoes. They will beat the pants off your momma's old southern recipe of pecans and brown sugar and marshmallows. Yes. I said it. And I mean it.



Sweet potatoes with goat cheese, roasted grapes, and honey
From How Sweet It Is

4 sweet potatoes

2 cups red, seedless grapes

1 teaspoon grapeseed oil (or another high heat oil)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

4 ounces goat cheese, divided

2 tablespoons honey + additional for drizzling

pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Poke holes in sweet potato with a fork, then wrap each tightly in aluminum foil. Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until potatoes and tender to the touch. Unwrap foil and cut a slit down the middle of each sweet potato. Let sit until cool enough to handle. *However, if you are crunched for time, pierce potatoes with a fork in several places, wrap in moist paper towels, and place in the microwave for 10 minutes on high instead of baking in the oven.*

Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees F. Toss grapes with a little oil (high-heat oil) and a pinch each of salt and pepper, then place on nonstick baking sheet. Roast for 20-25 minutes, or until grapes begin to burst. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Once sweet potatoes are somewhat cool, gently remove the flesh with a spoon, trying to keep the potato intact. Add the sweet potato to a large bowl, then mash with 3 ounces of goat cheese, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, pepper and honey. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired, then scoop flash back into the potato skins. At this point you can re-warm the potatoes (if you let them cool completely) in the oven, then top with remaining goat cheese. Add grapes on top and serve with additional drizzled honey.

Spiced Sweet Potato Souffle

Sweet potatoes have to be one of the best vegetables ever. They are sweet like candy and are packed with tons of nutrients. If you follow that old rule that goes, "the more color a veggie has, the better for you," sweet potatoes rock the universe. They can be made into something sweet like pie or savory like baked fries, or they can be made into fancy things (hence, souffle) or just downhome goodness of mashed potatoes. Anyway, I had been dying to try a sweet potato souffle for a while, so I tested this one out for Thanksgiving. I loved it and will be making it again. I could honestly have this as dessert as well as a side, and that's fantastic news due to the fact that this dish is relatively good for you (not too much sugar or fat compared to pie or something...). I must admit, mine did fall a little, but that really is not a reason to not make this =).

Oh, and if you are not a fan of ginger and allspice and such, feel free to omit them. Some people may find the dish to reliant upon spices (too much ginger? ha. No such thing. You people are crazy.)

Spiced Sweet Potato Souffle
Adapted from Cooking Light

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 pound, 12 ounces) 
  2 tablespoons butter, softened 
  1/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 ounce) 
  1/2 cup whole milk
  1 tablespoon grated orange rind 
  1/3 cup fresh orange juice 
  1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar1 teaspoon ground cinnamon1/4 teaspoon ginger1/4 teaspoon allspice3/4 teaspoon salt 2 large egg yolks 5 large egg whites 
• 
  

• Position oven rack to lowest setting, and remove the middle rack. Preheat oven to 425°.
• Coat a 1 1/2-quart soufflé dish with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Set aside.
• Pierce potatoes with a fork; arrange on paper towels in microwave oven. Microwave at high 10 minutes or until tender, rearranging potatoes after 5 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. Slice each potato in half, then scoop out the insides with a spoon (this is easier than peeling the potatoes, in my opinion). Combine potatoes and butter, and mash with a potato masher until smooth.
• Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, potato mixture, half-and-half, and next 8 ingredients (through egg yolks) in a food processor; process until smooth. Transfer potato mixture to a large bowl.
• Place egg whites in a large mixing bowl; beat at high speed with a mixer until soft peaks form. Add remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form (do not overbeat). Gently fold one-fourth of egg white mixture into potato mixture; gently fold in remaining egg white mixture. Gently spoon mixture into prepared dish. Sharply tap dish 2 or 3 times on the counter to level. Place dish on a baking sheet; place baking sheet in a 425° oven. Immediately reduce oven temperature to 375° (do not remove soufflé from oven). Bake 1 hour or until soufflé is puffy, golden, and set. Serve immediately.

Simple Pumpkin Soup

• It's Fall! The colors are gorgeous, the air is crisp, and the days are perfect for enjoying a game of catch or a nice run at the arboretum. In fact, I actually tried honing my baseball throwing skills while babysitting the other day. It was a wonderful! I forgot how much fun hanging out with kids is and how it reminds me to slow down and not take life for granted. 
• The perfect way to not take life for granted is a bowl of soup with a slice of homemade bread. When I was trying to think of an easy and affordable meal to serve at church last week, I was reminded of pumpkin soup. I had never heard of such a thing as pumpkin soup until this year, but I love pumpkin and had to try it. This recipe is so easy! If you are looking for a good soup appetizer for this Thanksgiving, I highly recommend this one. Next time I make it, I am going to try it with a rind of Parmesan cheese cooking in the pot (I will remove it before I serve the soup).  Feel free to let me know if you get a chance to throw a cheese rind into the mix before I do!
• Pumpkin Soup
  Adapted from All*You
  Makes 4-5 servings
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 (15 oz.) cans solid packed pumpkin
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 1 cup milk 
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon rubbed sage
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste

• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat; add onion and cook, stirring often until very soft, about 8 minutes. Add pumpkin, water, milk, syrup, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, whisking often. (Soup can be made 1 day ahead. Let cool and then cover and chill. Bring to a simmer before serving.)

Mom's Muffins, My Way

These muffins remind me of color antique pyrex mixing bowls, family dinners, and the phrase "But Mom, I am sooooo hungry! Just one, pleeeeeease?"
My mom made these pretty regularly and, by the time dinner ended, there were never any left but I always wanted more.

Smear these with cream cheese for a yummy breakfast =).

Zucchini Muffins
Yields 8-9 regular muffins

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg, slightly beaten

¼ cup oil

2 tablespoons honey

¼ cup all purpose flour
¼ cup and 3 tablespoons wheat flour
1 tablespoon flax seed *optional. If you skip, just replace with either flour

¼ tspn baking powder

¼ tspn baking soda

¼ tspn salt

¼ tspn nutmeg

1 c grated zucchini

1/3 c raisins

2 tablespoons millet *optional

Directions

Mix first 4 ingredients together in a bowl.

In a second bowl, mix the next 7 ingredients, then mix into the first bowl.

Fold in zucchini and raisins and millet.

Fill greased or lined muffin tins ½ or ⅔ full.

Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes.  

Gluten-Free Dinner for a Crowd II

If any of you have gluten-free friends and don't know what to serve them for dinner, I've got you covered. This menu has vegetables, protein, and fun dessert that is perfect for fall. If you want another side, I highly suggest mashed potatoes to mix the chicken into. These dishes will serve roughly 20 people. Also, vanilla ice cream is great with the apple crisp, but I had to keep my meal under $50, so that's the  primary reason why there are no mashed potatoes or ice cream.

If you want to make this for a "normal" gathering, say 4-6 people and not 20, halve the roasted vegetables recipe and quarter the chicken recipe. As for the apple crisp, an 8x4 pan will require 4 apples, 6 tablespoons of margarine and brown sugar, 1/4 cup flour of choice, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 1/2 cup of oats.

Roasted Vegetables
 ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

12 medium carrots 1 ½-inch thick circles 

1 ½ cups brussel sprouts (about ½ pound), halved 

6-8 cups red bliss potatoes (about 2 pounds), cut into bite-size cubes

6 medium parsnips (about 2 pounds), cut into 1 ½-inch thick slices 

1 cup sweet potatoes (about 1 pound), cut into 1 ½-inch thick slices 

1 1/2 lbs of green beans, snapped/cut

3-4 tablespoons herbs de provence

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

Grease 2 large baking sheets. Place vegetables in a bowl and add the oil, herbs, salt and pepper. Toss well, evenly coating all the vegetables with the seasonings and oil. Add more oil if the vegetables seem dry 

Spread the vegetables evenly on the large baking sheet. Place on middle rack in oven and bake for 35 to 45 minutes. 

Mom's Rosemary Chicken
2 (40oz) bags of chicken tenders (not breaded, just plain, frozen, raw)
4 large onions, cut into eights
Enough apple juice to cover the chicken or so (1/2 a bottle?)
4 tablespoons of dried rosemary

Divide chicken evenly among two medium crockpots, or place into one extra large crockpot.
Pour apple juice in just enough to leave only a centimeter of chicken showing in each crockpot.
Place onion slices on/around chicken and sprinkle the rosemary on top in each crockpot.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Mom's (Gluten-Free) Apple Crisp
*you can make this regular, non-GF crisp by swapping out GF flour for all purpose flour and the GF oats for regular oats

14 medium apples. I suggest a mixture of gala, golden delicious, and/or granny smith.

3 sticks+3/4 stick margarine, room temperature

2 cups brown sugar

1¼ cup all purpose gluten free flour, or any

2 tablespoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons nutmeg*optional

2 1/2 cups gluten free oats (old fashioned, plain)

Peel and core apples, slice into eighths or however small you like. Divide evenly among two lightly greased 9x13 metal plans.

Mix remaining ingredients together so they are crumbly. Sprinkle on top of apples.

Bake at 350F for about 40 minutes.

Roasted Red Pepper Bisque

• Rainy, slightly chilly days just say "it's time for fall foods!" and I definitely listen to those voices when they tell me to make such things as pumpkin mousse with candied pecans (someday I will put that recipe up) and roasted red pepper soup.
• It was the perfect day for such fall treats because I was having a Reading Party. What is a Reading Party? Well, it's when someone like me needs accountability and motivation to read 400 pages about the Cold War, so I invite friends over to sit with me and read while I read. It's really fantastic.
• One of my friends brought over some red peppers that were begging to be used and also mentioned he likes cream scones, so after the soup was done, we put together some scones real quick. Mousse, soup, scones, yay.
• Honestly, the food was the best 3 hour break in a 12 hour day of reading that I could have asked for. It was delicious and I got to be in the kitchen with friends! Perfection =).
• 
  
• Roasted Red Pepper Bisque
  Adapted from Cooking Light
• 1 1/2 pounds red bell peppers (3 large), roasted and peeled
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped carrot
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon thyme
• Dash of ground red pepper
• Pepper to taste
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 cup cooked long-grain rice
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup cream or milk
• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

• Chop bell peppers; set aside. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and carrot; sauté 8 minutes or until vegetables are lightly browned. Stir in bell peppers, tomato paste, and next 5 ingredients (tomato paste through garlic); cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in rice, water, and broth, scraping skillet to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil; partially cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Place broth mixture in a food processor or blender (you may have to do this in batches); process until smooth. Return puree to pan, and stir in 1/2 cup. Cook over medium heat until thoroughly heated (do not boil). Ladle bisque into bowls; top with cilantro.

Portobello "Burgers"

I have been intrigued by the idea of a portobello burger for a while, so while I was home in Florida (and buying groceries with my mom's budget), I decided to go for it. It was a meatless, delicious meal and I definitely recommend it if you have errands to run in the evening or something, since, as long as you can get home for about 10 minutes to put the marinade together, you can go out and do something for 2 hours or so before you put in about 20 minutes to actually "cook" everything. Yay for fairly quick and easy meals.

Fyi, I am toying with the idea of reigning my grocery budget in to a mere $25 a week. I know, it's depressing, but that's kind of what happens when grad school barges in and takes all my money. So the recipes from here on out might be meatless more often and involve a lot of rice, beans, frozen veggies, and whatever happens to be on sale. That could be exciting or kind of a bummer, depending on your attitude and current situation. I'll let you know how it goes. Maybe the blog will become "Eating on $25 a Week." That may not sound like a small amount, but to me it is!

Simple Portobello "Burgers"

4 English muffins, toasted (I use whole wheat)

4 portobello mushroom caps

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 thick slices of smoked gouda cheese

1 small red onion

1 medium tomato, sliced

1 avocado, sliced

Lettuce for garnish

½ cup balsamic vinegar

for mushroom marinade:

⅓ cup olive oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons cooking sherry

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 garlic clove, minced

Two hours before serving, combine the marinade ingredients in a shallow dish and add mushrooms. Let them lay on their top side in the marinade, and spoon some marinade into the bottom-up side to let it soak. Marinate for two hours.

Come back to the kitchen about 20 minutes before serving and heat the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes, then turn off heat and set aside to thicken.

Slice red onion into rings and add ½ tablespoon olive oil into a large skillet on medium heat. Add onions and let soften and caramelize for 10-12 minutes. Set aside once finished, leaving the skillet on. Add the marinated mushrooms to the skillet top side up. Cook for 5 minutes, then flip and cook for 4 more. Turn back over, add a slice of gouda on top, and turn off heat.

Top English muffin with a portobello cap, onion rings, tomato, avocado, and butter lettuce. I recommend a light sprinkle of salt and pepper on the tomato and avocado for flavor. Finish with a drizzle of syrupy balsamic and serve.

And just so you know, adding bacon to this is not a bad idea.

This is wonderful to serve with baked carrot fries or sweet potato fries.

Corn, Tomato and Crab Salad

So my oven was taken away from me for the two weeks after memorial day. During that time, I had to rack my brain for no-cook recipes. If I am going to do no-cook recipes and rely primarily on the bold flavors of raw foods, it only makes sense to go with fruits and veggies that just scream "summer is here!" That led me to this tomato and corn and crab salad. It was so hard to find good lump crab in KY that I had to go with imitation, which greatly displeased me, but I am a bit picky when it comes to seafood (I grew up in Florida, after all).

I think that this dish would be awesome with shrimp (no shells, no tails), if you cannot find real lump crabmeat.

Also, I must admit, I was feeling lazy and there is a Red Lobster just up the street from me (literally, it is on the same street as my house). Their cheddar biscuits are 6 for $1.99! I couldn't say no. They go sooo well with this dish. The addition of the biscuits is so worth it, but if you are feeling ambitious, you can always make your own using the food network's almost famous recipe.

Corn, Tomato, and Crab Salad

Adapted from Southern Living

1 tablespoon grated lemon rind

5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 4 ears)
¼ cup thinly sliced basil leaves
1 chopped red bell pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
½ pound lump crabmeat, shell pieces removed, cooked
4 ripe beefsteak tomatoes, sliced into eights or tenths
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup shredded Parmesan

Combine rind, 3 tablespoons juice, and next 5 ingredients (through black pepper) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Reserve 1 ½ tablespoons juice mixture. Add remaining 2 tablespoons juice, corn, and next 4 ingredients (through crab) to remaining juice mixture; toss gently to coat.

Arrange slices of beefsteak tomatoes and ½ cup cherry tomatoes on each of 4 plates. Drizzle about 1 teaspoon reserved juice mixture over each serving. Top each serving with ¼ of corn and crab mixture. Sprinkle each plate with 2 tablespoons of parmesan.

Suggestion: replace crab with 1lb of chopped shrimp and/or serve with cheddar biscuits

Quick, Fairly Healthy Dinner

Every once in a while, I cook dinner for the family who I babysit for. It's rather exciting, since I get to cook, but it's also a challenge to create a meal using a pantry that I didn't stock and, to my knowledge, was not stocked with any particular meal in mind.

Trying to rack my brain for a tasty, nutritional meal that would only require the ingredients that I have on hand, I decided on a broccoli chicken divan and whole wheat dinner muffins. I used my own whole wheat flour in the muffins, which allowed me to eat the left over muffins for breakfast the rest of the week =). I was totally fine with that.

The broccoli chicken divan is good. It's definitely a recipe to keep around due to it's ease, yumminess, and requirement of pretty much no fresh food (yay pantry recipes).

The muffins might be the yummiest complex carbohydrate addition to any dinner. They are also good for you! I think my favorite part about them is that they are just as delicious for a quick snack or breakfast as they are for dinner.

Wheat Dinner Muffins

1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour or graham flour

2 Tbs. yellow cornmeal

3 Tbs. firmly packed light or dark brown sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

2 eggs, separated

3 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted, or sesame oil or olive oil

1 cup buttermilk (or, pour 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a large measuring, then fill to the 1 cup line with milk)

2 Tbs. sour cream or plain yogurt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Unsalted butter or jam for serving

Preheat an oven to 375°F. Grease 9 standard muffin cups; fill the unused cups one-third full with water to prevent warping.

In a bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In another bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, butter, buttermilk, sour cream and vanilla until blended. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture just until evenly moistened. The batter will be slightly lumpy.

In a clean bowl, using a mixer with spotlessly clean beaters on medium speed, or a balloon whisk, beat the egg whites just until they form soft peaks. Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the batter until blended.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each one level with the rim of the cup (seriously, fill to the top).

Bake the muffins until they are golden, dry and springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Unmold the muffins and serve warm or at room temperature, with butter. Makes 9 muffins.

Adapted from The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook, Edited by Chuck Williams (Free Press, 2008).

Broccoli Chicken Casserole (serves 4-6)

3 cups frozen broccoli

1 1/2 pounds chicken, raw, cubed

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1/2 teaspoon wet garlic

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of *whatever* soup

1/3 cup milk

1/2 cup sour cream or mayo, whatever you have on hand

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup dried bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

Cook broccoli according to decorations on bag (I put mine in a microwave safe bowl with a 1/2 cup of water and cook in the microwave for 3 minutes and then drain). Place the cooked broccoli in a 8x8 inch baking dish.

Place onion and garlic in a sauce pan over medium heat and cook for 3-4 minutes. Season chicken with paprika and oregano, then add to the saucepan and cook about 10 minutes or until white all the way through.

In a bowl, mix the soup, sour cream, and milk, and pour over the chicken. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese and then sprinkle bread crumbs over the cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly brown.