Warm Spinach Salad with Fried Egg & Potatoes

I love breakfast salads - probably because it's often closer to lunch by the time I get around to eating breakfast on a weekend morning!  I have just a little bit of Swiss chard left in the garden - perfect for this recipe.  The soft-cooked egg yolk makes a yummy "sauce" for the salad.

Source:  Adapted from Everyday Food magazine

4 T. olive oil

2 baking potatoes (about 1 pound total), scrubbed and cut into 1/2" cubes

sea salt and pepper

2 T. red-wine vinegar

1 T. Dijon mustard

1 shallot, minced

2 lbs. flat-leaf spinach, torn

2 oz. Parmesan, shaved with a vegetable peeler

4 large eggs

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 T. oil over medium heat.  Add potatoes; season with salt and pepper.  Cook, tossing occasionally, until potatoes are tender and browned, 12-14 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine remaining 2 T. oil with vinegar, mustard, and shallot; season with salt and pepper, and whisk to combine.  Add spinach and Parmesan (do not toss); set aside.

When potatoes are done cooking, immediately transfer to bowl with spinach and dressing (reserve skillet).  Toss salad until spinach is slightly wilted, and divide among four plates.

Heat skillet over medium heat, and gently crack eggs into skillet without breaking yolks; season with salt and pepper.  Cook until whites are almost set, about 1 minute.  Cover, turn off heat, and let stand until whites are just set but yolks are still soft, about 2 minutes more.  Top each salad with a fried egg, and serve immediately.

Update 12/11/10
This is excellent with sweet potatoes in place of the white potatoes!

Chicken Stock

What's "In Season" about chicken stock?  Well, if you eat local, in-season chicken, then the stock you make from it ends up being "In Season" too!  Over the summer I roasted a fresh chicken every three weeks, stuck the carcass in a zip-lock freezer bag and put it in the freezer for making stock at a later date.  Well, the date had come!  Here's how I did it:

First, I thawed the chicken carcasses overnight in the garage (since it was cool, it was the same thing as using the refrigerator) in preparation for the big event.  First thing in the morning I placed all the carcasses, as well as drippings I had been saving from roasting the chickens all summer, in two stock pots, covered them with water and brought it to a boil.  I skimmed off the brown scum, as well as any rosemary leaves that were floating on the top, then allowed the stock to simmer all day - about 12 hours; that way I could get as many nutrients as possible from the bones.  Part way through, I removed the lids so it could cook down a bit and allow the flavor to intensify. At the end of the day, I strained the broth through a mesh strainer into another stock pot, removing the bones, meat and skin, and added sea salt until I was satisfied with the flavor.  I chilled it overnight in the refrigerator.  In the morning, I skimmed the fat off the top, then filled wide-mouth quart mason jars with 3 cups of stock each (any more than that, and you'll run the risk of cracking the jar if you plan to freeze it) and put them in the freezer.  Yum!!  It was so satisfying!  Of course, it's not possible to attempt something like this if you're not going to be home all day, but I was and thoroughly enjoyed the process.  After all the jars were safely stowed away, I even checked the freezer occasionally to make sure it was still running - I felt like I had gold in the bank and wanted to make sure it was safe!  :)  There's all kinds of good benefits to organic chicken broth, so I'm eager to take advantage of it these next months as I use it in various recipes.

Does the recipe sound too simple to be true?  Well, it isn't!  According to Maria Rodale on the Rodale.com website, anything more than an organic chicken, water and salt just messes up the flavor.  My stock included some onions left over from the chicken-roasting process and the meat had a subtle rosemary flavor, but that was it!

Update, 5/17/11

I bought a pressure canner two months ago and finally worked up the courage to try using it.  Why is everyone afraid of using a pressure canner (me included!)?  There definitely was a bit of a learning curve to it, but it was worth being able to can a bunch of chicken stock in glass jars and not worry about breakage in the freezer, or hogging up freezer space.  Also, it's much handier to open a jar of canned stock vs. remembering to plan ahead and defrost frozen stock.

For today's batch of stock, I had purchased frozen chicken backs from the farm where I buy my chickens.  It made even tastier broth than the what I made using the roasted chicken carcasses.  Yum!  And, what's even better, it's loaded with all kinds of healing properties!


Update, 11/2/15

As handy as it is to have canned stock on hand, I have reverted to simply freezing it.  Wide mouth pint jars work great and are freezer safe!

Spring Greens with Beets & Goat Cheese

I used fresh roasted beets in place of the canned beets in this salad - yum!!

Source:  adapted from Taste of Home magazine, April/May 2009

2/3 c. pecan halves

3 T. balsamic vinegar, divided

1 T. water

1 T. sugar

1/4 c. olive oil

2 T. maple syrup

1 t. whole grain mustard

1/8 t. salt

5 oz. spring mix salad greens

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) sliced beets, drained*

1 c. crumbled goat cheese

In a large heavy skillet, cook the pecans, 1 T. vinegar and water over medium heat until nuts are toasted, about 4 min.  Sprinkle with sugar.  Cook and stir for 2-4 min. or until sugar is melted.  Spread on foil to cool.

In a small bowl, combine the oil, syrup, mustard, salt and remaining vinegar.  Refrigerate until serving.

In a large bowl, combine salad greens and dressing; toss to coat.  Divide among eight salad plates.  Top with beets, goat cheese and glazed pecans.

Yield:  8 servings

*Note:  To roast beets, preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a 9x13" baking dish, toss 1 bunch beets (about 1 1/2 lbs.), scrubbed, with 1 T. olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Cover dish tightly with foil; roast until tender when pierced with a knife, 45-60 min., depending on size.  When cool enough to handle, rub with a paper towel to remove skins (if desired).

Roasted Winter Squash Seeds

Pumpkins aren't the only squash that yield tasty seeds for roasting - be sure to try butternut or acorn squash as well!

Source:  allrecipes.com

1 c. winter squash seeds

1 T. olive oil

1/2 t. salt, or to taste

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil, or use a non-stick baking sheet.

After removing the seeds from the squash, rinse with water, and remove any strings and bits of squash.  pat dry, and place in a small bowl.  Stir olive oil and salt into the seeds until evenly coated.  Spread out in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until seeds start to pop.  (Pumpkin seeds may take a bit longer.)  Remove from oven and cool on the baking sheet before serving.

Mixed Bean Salad

My mother used to make a similar salad, but I think I prefer this updated version.

Source:  Everyday Food magazine, September 2010

1/2 lb. green beans, trimmed and halved crosswise

2 T. cider vinegar

3 T. olive oil

1 T. fresh oregano leaves, finely chopped

1 shallot, thinly sliced*

2 t. grainy mustard

1 can (15.5 oz.) red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (15.5 oz.) chickpeas, rinsed and drained

sea salt

pepper

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook green beans until bright green and crisp-tender, 2-3 minutes.  Drain and rinse under cold water until cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, olive oil, oregano, shallot and mustard.  Add green beans, kidney beans and chickpeas.  Toss well to combine.  Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 6

*Note:  I substituted 1 small red onion and a clove of minced garlic for the shallot.  (I never have shallots on hand!)

Roasted Potato Mix

This is such a simple recipe, but always gets rave reviews.  It's great for company or for just you!

Source:  Mary Beth W.

1 large russet potato, peeled and cubed

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed

1 c. diced onion

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

2 T. butter

2 T. olive oil

Melt butter and olive oil in 9x13" pan.  Toss with potatoes, onion, salt and pepper.  Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.



Swiss Chard with Carmelized Onions and Walnuts

I'm not 100% sure I love this recipe, but I'm determined to come up with a good sauteed Swiss chard recipe, and this is getting close.  I like the fact that it uses the chard stems in addition to the leaves.  It is an odd combination of sweet and savory, but it works for some reason.  I prefer the addition of the chick peas - it keeps the chard flavor from being too overpowering.

Source:  Adapted from chowhound.chow.com

2 T. walnuts

1 T. olive oil

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

1 bunch Swiss chard (about 1 lb. or 10 large stalks), washed

2 T. golden raisins

2 T. balsamic vinegar

1/2 t. sea salt

ground black pepper to taste

Toast the pine nuts in skillet until golden brown; set aside to cool.

In a large, deep skillet, heat oil over medium-low heat; add onions and cook until golden brown and very soft, stirring from time to time, about 10 minutes.

While onions are cooking, prepare chard:  pull leaves off stalks by folding leaf together along stalk and pull the stalk away like pulling a zipper.  Cut the stalks into 3/4" pieces; set aside.  Cut or tear leaves into 2" pieces.

Add chard stalks and raisins to onions and cook until stalks are tender, about 10-15 minutes.  Stir occasionally while stalks are cooking.  Once tender, add chard leaves and balsamic vinegar.  Toss to coat the leaves with oil, and cook for about 5 minutes or until leaves are wilted and tender.  Season with salt and pepper; transfer to serving dish and top with pine nuts.

Note: if you would like to turn this from a side dish into a main dish, add 1 15-oz. can of chickpeas (drained) that have been sauteed in olive oil and 1 clove minced garlic, and seasoned with sea salt and pepper.

Just a warning: This may not be dish you will want to serve for company, to a picky eater, or to anyone who's not committed to the virtues of Swiss chard. But it's a great recipe to introduce you to chard and its magical qualities. You may need to tweak this recipe to suit your own palate, just as I did. However, hopefully it will inspire you to continue on the chard journey, just as it did me!

Stuffed Green Peppers Casserole

I still have a lots of  red and green cubanelle peppers in the garden, as well as some scroungy-looking tomatoes sitting on my kitchen counter, so I decided to make a double batch of this casserole for the freezer.  It also allowed me to make use of some fresh basil and oregano before the frost hits.  It's basically a recipe for stuffed peppers that I turned into a casserole so I could feature cubanelle peppers in place of the bell peppers; the cubanelles don't lend themselves to being stuffed, but they work nicely in this recipe.  Cubanelle peppers are similar to sweet Italian frying peppers and have a wonderful flavor.  Plus, for whatever reason, I have no trouble growing them, unlike Bell peppers!

For the meat, I usually use a mixture of sausage and ground beef for the best flavor.  But, since I'm trying to avoid pork these days (unless I can get it from a reputable source at a reasonable price - not very likely!), I simply used grass-fed ground beef that I get from the farmer down the road.  It was still tasty!

Organic cheese is terribly expensive, so I used just a sprinkle of a non-organic brand.

Source:  Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook

2 large green peppers, or the equivalent of cubanelle peppers (red or green), seeded and coarsely chopped

3/4 pound ground beef, ground pork, ground lamb, or bulk pork sausage

1/3 c. chopped onion

1 8-oz. can tomatoes, chopped or 1 c. fresh tomatoes

1/3 c. brown rice

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

1 t. fresh basil, chopped, or 1/4 t. dried basil

1 t. fresh oregano, chopped, or 1/4 t. dried oregano

1/2 c. water

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

In a skillet, brown meat with onion; drain fat if necessary.  Stir in undrained tomatoes, uncooked rice, Worcestershire sauce, basil, oregano, water, salt and pepper.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Cover and simmer until rice is tender, approximately 45 minutes.

While the meat and rice mixture is cooking, parboil peppers in a pan of boiling water for 3 minutes; drain.

When rice is tender, stir in 1/4 c. cheese and peppers.  Place in an 8x8x2" baking dish.  Bake at 375 degrees for 5-10 minutes or until heated through.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining cheese; let stand for 1-2 minutes.

Serves 4.

Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Salad

Here's another variation on a Tomato Bread Salad.  Again, I used some of my Rustic Italian Bread that I had in the freezer - it was the perfect texture for toasting in the oven; actually, it was the best part of the salad!!

Source:  Everyday Food, September 2010

2 c. crusty bread, torn into bite-sized pieces

5 t. olive oil, divided

sea salt

pepper

2 t. sherry vinegar

1 garlic clove, minced

2 T. coarsely chopped almonds, toasted

2 medium tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/2" wedges

2 red bell peppers, roasted and cut into 1/2" strips

1 T. fresh parsley leaves, chopped

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

On a rimmed baking sheet, toss bread with 2 t. olive oil and season with sea salt and pepper.  Spread bread pieces in a single layer and bake until golden brown, about 7 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine 3 t. olive oil, vinegar, garlic and almonds.  Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.  Add tomatoes, peppers, parsley and toasted bread; toss to combine.

Serves 4.

Roasted Grape Tomatoes

I made these for breakfast this morning (minus the balsamic vinegar) - yum!  With all the rain we had yesterday (5"!), I thought I had better pick all my grape tomatoes before the skins split from absorbing too much water too quickly.  A number of them had already split, but they worked well in this recipe.

Source:  adapted from fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com

2 c. grape tomatoes, washed

1-2 t. olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

4-5 fresh basil leaves, cut in thin strips

Balsamic vinegar, optional

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Rub olive oil on a 9x9" baking dish.  Add tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Toss to coat evenly.  Roast in oven for approximately 15 minutes until plump and just about to burst.  Remove from oven and drizzle with basil and balsamic vinegar (optional).

Home-canned Grape Juice

Photo Credit:  Melissa Binder

This has been my specialty for years, and yet is one of the easiest things there is to can!  My mother always made it with  our own grapes on the farm, and I have fond memories of the smell of concord grapes in the fall, as well as drinking grape juice on special occasions; I feel connected to that era every time I can a batch.  I used to can 50-70 quarts every other year so that I would have plenty to give as hostess gifts, etc. but in recent years I've scaled down to more reasonable amounts so that I have just enough on hand for my own use and for company (and so I don't OD on canning!).  I wanted to use local grapes to stick with my local produce goals, but the PA grapes were in and over before I realized it.  These grapes came from New York and were sweet as well as beautiful.  I used 10 pounds of grapes which yielded 21 quarts of juice (three canner loads).

Source:  Adapted from Mennonite Country-Style Recipes Cookbook

Remove grapes from stems and wash thoroughly; drain.  Place 1 c. grapes and 1/2 c. sugar in each quart jar.  Fill with boiling water, leaving 1/2" headspace.  Stir to dissolve sugar.  Add lids, tighten and process 15 minutes in boiling water bath. 

When ready to serve, strain into pitcher, discarding grapes.

Note:  Depending on how sweet the grapes are and your preferences, you can use less sugar.  This year I used a heaping 1/4 c. sugar per quart.

Rustic Swiss Chard and Mozzarella Tart

Source:  Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens Magazine

Pastry:

1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour*

1/4 t. salt

1/2 c. cold butter

1/4  c. cold ice water

1/4 c. sour cream*

2 t. fresh lemon juice

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt.  Cut up butter; cut into flour until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Combine water, sour cream and lemon juice.  Add half the sour cream mixture to flour mixture; toss with a fork.  Add remaining sour cream mixture; toss with a fork until mixture is moistened.  Form into a ball.  Wrap and refrigerate (up to an hour) while preparing filling.

Filling:

1 bunch Swiss chard, washed and chopped (about 5 c.)

1 c. chopped leeks*

4 gloves garlic, minced

1/4 t. dried thyme, crushed

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. black pepper

1 T. olive oil

3/4 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

Fresh Italian (flat leaf) parsley

Preheat oven to 400 deg.

In a large skillet, cook chard, leeks, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper in hot oil over medium heat for 4 minutes or until chard wilts and leeks are tender.  Cool slightly.  Stir in cheese, set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry to a 12" circle.  Transfer to a parchment-lined or greased baking sheet.  Spoon filling into center of pastry circle, leaving a 2" border.  Fold dough over filling, leaver center open and pleating edges of dough.  Bake for 30-40 min., or until golden.  Sprinkle with parsley. 

Serve hot.

Makes 4 main-dish or 8 appetizer servings.

*My substitutions:
whole wheat pastry flour for the all-purpose flour,
 my homemade yogurt for the sour cream,
 and onions plus 2 extra cloves of garlic for the leeks.

Panzanella Salad (Italian Bread Salad)

I discovered "Chef Tim's Sweet Balsamic Vinaigrette" earlier this year at Root's - Chef Tim has a stand there, and he always has samples of this yummy salad.  Tonight was the first I actually tried his recipe, which is listed on the bottle.  The Country Store also carries this dressing.  Instead of croutons, I used cubes of leftover homemade Italian bread I had in the freezer.

6 cubed roma tomatoes
1 peeled, deseeded cucumber
1 T. minced red onion
16 medium fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips
3 c. cooked, cubed seasoned chicken breast
3 c. croutons
8 oz. Chef Tim's Sweet Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing

Toss all ingredients with dressing and place on a bed of 8 c. lettuce greens.  Drizzle greens with additional dressing.

Serves 4
Note:  This is a perfect use for the roasted chicken breasts that I keep in the freezer.

Hitting the Wall

I don't know what happened, but I hit a wall on the cooking thing!  I think it was a combination of the garden fizzling a bit with the lack of rain, me getting side tracked with some other fun endeavors (see my All Things Andrea blog!), trying to sort out the implications of my numerous food allergies, and just plain laziness on my part when it comes to food prep.  Meanwhile, my garden produce was rotting away in my refrigerator....  I should be back around shortly, though.  I have a few recipes I still need to post, then plan to post the rest of the recipes from my collection, even if I didn't actually get them prepared this summer.  All in all, it's been a great venture - I've been stretched in lots of meaningful ways.  But, best of all, the season isn't over!  There's all kinds of wonderful produce coming in season (even if it's not happening in my garden!), and I still have a stash of recipes I want to try.  So, check back shortly!

Sauteed Green Beans and Red Onion

Source:  adapted from Everyday Food

This is one of my favorite ways to use up an abundance of green beans, as well as red onions, which don't store over the winter as nicely as yellow onions.

2 T. olive oil
1 t. sea salt
1/8 t. ground pepper
1 lb. green beans, trimmed and cut into 3" lengths
1 medium red onion, cut into 1/2" wedges
2 t. balsamic vinegar

In a large nonstick skillet, bring 1 c. water, olive oil, salt and pepper to a simmer over medium heat. 
Add green beans and red onion.  Cover; cook until beans are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. 
Uncover; continue cooking, stirring often, until water has evaporated, beans are tender, and onions are beginning to brown, about 5-8 minutes more.  Stir in balsamic vinegar and serve.