Swiss Chard and White Bean Stew
I saw this in this month’s Food and Wine and couldn’t resist its simplicity. It literally took two minutes to make and was pretty good considering the amount of effort I put into it. We cooked sausages to go along with it and ended up putting them in our stew… though I’m not entirely sure it needed the meat. ** See update below **
Swiss Chard and White Bean Stew
3 cloves garlic, pressed
2 T olive oil
2 pounds swiss chard, stemmed and leaves cut into 2″ crosswise
1 can cannelini beans
1: 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 t italian seasoning (or mix of thyme, oregano, etc.)
salt, pepper, etc
Bring a pot of water to a boil, add chard. Simmer of medium heat for about 8 minutes until chard is tender, but not soft.
Drain Chard and press out excess water.
Heat the olive oil.
Add garlic and seasoning and cook over moderate heat until golden.
Add the canned tomatoes. Bring to a boil for one minute.
Add cannelini beans, cook over moderate heat for 3 minutes.
Add chard, cook over moderate heat for 5 minutes, until flavors are married.
Serve.
** I made this again last night and revised the recipe a bit. It was much more delicious this time around. Here are the notes:
I barely branched the chard, doubled the cannelini beans, and added .5 pound ground pork sausage. It was delicious.
Chicken with Herbed Goat Cheese
Compliments of Ina Garten. I had a leftover goat cheese mixture from another recipe that I ended up using (goat cheese with chopped toasted walnuts, minced basil, grated lemon peel, minced garlic and a little olive oil) and we really enjoyed it. I think the herbed goat cheese would be equally tasty. Really an easy dish that could be made in advance. I did brine the chicken for 1 1/2 hours.
Ingredients
- 3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on
- 12 ounces Montrachet goat cheese, with garlic and herbs
- Fresh basil leaves
- Good olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet. Loosen the skin from the meat with your fingers, leaving one side attached. Cut 12 thick slices of the Montrachet and place 2 slices plus a large basil leaf under the skin of each chicken breast. Rub each piece with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Bake the breasts for 35 to 40 minutes, until just cooked through. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Jasmine’s Roasted Oatmeal
My pal Jasmine has recipe blog focusing on food intolerances, http://jasminesrecipebox.blogspot.com and this recipe really caught my eye. It is tasty and a welcome addition to my ailing repertoire of breakfast options. I’ve made a vat of the oat-seed mix to have on hand when the mood strikes!
baby quick oats
dried shredded coconut flakes
(raw) almonds (i used slices)
(raw) sunflower seeds
(raw) pumpkin seeds
coconut oil for roasting (I opted for coconut butter, yum!)
yogurt or milk of your choice
agave nectar or honey to sweeten (optional)
1. Combine all ingredients (measurements to your liking).
2. Mix well and store in airtight container or jar.
3. Melt some coconut oil in a small frying pan.
4. Roast desired amount of oat mixture until golden brown. When the seeds start to pop, you know it’s time to munch.
5. Serve over your favorite yogurt or milk.
Baigan Bharta
Okay, disclaimer: we have zero really enjoyable Indian food in Charleston. So, this was my attempt to bring a little of the magic my way. It’s a pretty tasty recipe – and a great option if you have a ton of gorgeous white (or purple) eggplant hanging around like I did. I think this could be a quick-ish meal, if you roasted the eggplants earlier on and waited to assemble.
I served it with brown basmati rice, mint-cucumber raita, and the carrot salad recipe posted by Annie, http://swapmeat.wordpress.com/2009/03/22/who-knew-a-carrot-could-taste-like-that/ awesome combination! I also suggest doubling the recipe, as the flavors were much better day 2.
1 medium eggplant
1/2 tsp ghee
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds (I couldn’t find these, so omitted)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp chili powder (I had cayenne on hand and used it)
1/2 medium onion – minced fine
2 cloves garlic – minced fine
1/2 inch ginger root – minced fine
1 medium green chili – chopped fine (I wasn’t sure about this and used serrano peppers)
1 small ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
salt to taste
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro (I added more b/c i love it. but it’s fine to omit, if you don’t)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Wash and dry eggplant. Make an incision with a sharp knife around the circumference of the eggplant and then rub it with mild oil of choice. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes or until they’re softened/ slightly collapsing into themselves.
Allow the eggplant to cool. Once cooled, cut in half and scoop out soft flesh into a bowl. Mash finely with a fork. Discard skin.
Heat oil and ghee over medium heat. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Once the spices start to pop, add the onion, ginger, garlic and green chili.
Once the onion begins to brown slightly, add turmeric, chili powder, coriander powder, salt, and tomatoes. Saute for one minute. Add 2 tablespoon of water, cover and cook for 3 minutes. Add garam masala, mashed eggplant and half of the cilantro. Cook for another 3 minutes and remove from heat. Sprinkle rest of the cilantro on top.
Makes 2-3 servings.
Sweet Cheese & Pecan Danish
This is a great brunch treat that comes right out of my collection of white trash recipes – ya know, the ones that require either a can of cream of mushroom soup, a box of jello, or (as is the case here) a can of biscuit dough. Either way, these are delicious and have been a huge hit every time I’ve served them. I’ve modified the recipe a little bit, and use less sugar than the original recipe called for…. it is plenty sweet for me!
Cheese Danish
2 – 8 count cans of Original Crescent Rolls
16 ounces Cream Cheese (softened)
2/3 C Sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Topping:
1 Stick Butter (melted)
1/2 C sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 C Chopped Pecans
Preheat oven to 350.
For the Danish unroll one can of the crescent rolls and press over the bottom of a greased 9×13 baking dish.
Press the perforations to seal, easing the dough slightly up the sides of the dish.
Combine the cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla in a mixing bowl and mix until smooth.
Spread mixture over the rolled dough.
Unroll the remaining can of rolls and arrange over the top, pinching the perforations and pressing the edges to seal.
For the topping – combine the butter, sugar, cinnamon and pecans in a bowl and mix well.
Spread evenly over the top layer of dough.
Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm or cool. (I prefer it cool)
Onion & Chorizo Hash
This was such an easy dish, that i may be eating A LOT more hash! A little wintery, but really, does it matter. I double or triple the recipe below, since it only serves 2 (!).
3T. olive oil
1 T. chopped garlic
1 cup diced yellow onion
1/2 cup julienned leeks, white part only
1/2 lb. raw chorizo sausage, cooked and drained
1/2 cup cooked and diced white potato
2 eggs
1/4 cup diced white bread (i use whatever’s on hand)
kosher salt + black pepper to taste
Heat 2 T. olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, and leeks to pan and saute, stirring frequently until soft. Remove pan from heat. Cool and spoon into a bowl. Add sausage, potatoes, egg, bread, and salt/ pepper to taste. Mix together lightly.
Heat remainging olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add sausage mixture to pan. Flatten with a spatula. Raise heat to medium-high. Sear on both sides until golden-brown, about 3 minutes per side.
Serve hot with…I’ve tried eggs, glazed carrots, salad w/ dijon vinaigrette.
Berry Fool
This is my new favorite dessert. So delicious, so summery, so rich, and SO SIMPLE!
I’ve made it with both strawberries and raspberries… going for the raspberry variety tonight. Here is the scoop:
Raspberry Fool
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients
18 ounces fresh raspberries (or strawberries, blueberries, etc.)
2 T lemon juice ** recipes sometimes substitute 2 T of liquer
1/2 cup plus 2 T sugar
1 pint heavy whipping cream
In a medium bowl, mash berries with a fork.
Add lemon juice and 2 T sugar.
Mix, and throw in the refrigerator to macerate for a few hours.
In a large bowl, whip cream with remaining sugar.
With a spatula, fold cream into pureed raspberries.
Divide among 8 glasses or bowls.
Serve immediately or chill for up to 2 hours.
Top with any remaining berries, or mint leaves perhaps.
Enjoy!
Carrot Salad
Hi,
I bought some shredded carrots for Jasper on the advice of a friend. He gagged on them, so I made this carrot salad for our dinner instead.
shredded carrots
matchstick apple
sliced purple cabbage
chickpeas
pumpkin seeds
mint
cilantro
tahini (thinned with the lemon juice,olive oil, vinegar)
lemon juice/zest
olive oil/apple cider vinegar
salt/pepper
red pepper flakes
Next time I might add onions and garlic. Super yummy!!
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