this salad is nice and hearty due to the black beans. the corn and apple impart a hint of sweetness while the radishes lend a nice pungent bite.
summer corn and black bean salad
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Tag Archives: garlic
beef crostini
- 1 sirloin steak about 1″ thick
- 2 tbs balsamic vinegar
- salt and pepper
- 1 small loaf of crusty bread
- 1 clove of garlic, halved
- 1/4 cup pecorino romano cheese, shredded
- 1 tbs fresh basil, chopped
salt and pepper steak generously and place under broiler. broil about 5 minutes each side for medium rare. let steak rest for a few minutes to allow juices to redistribute. chop into bite size pieces, drizzle balsamic vinegar over beef and toss to coat.
while your steak is resting, toast your bread. halve your bread lengthwise and spread a little bit of brummel and brown on your bread (you can use butter if you want) and toast bread until golden brown. immediately rub bread all over with your garlic. the heat bread will allow the garlic flavor to seep into the bread.
next, top your bread with steak and cheese and place under your broiler for about 30 seconds just until the cheese melts. to finish, top with fresh chopped basil and devour!
shrimp ceviche
traditionally, ceviche is “cooked” in an acid such as lime juice. this method is a lot quicker though and just as yummy!
- 1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
- cilantro
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 small jalapeno, minced (seeded if you don’t like too much heat)
- 2 tbs red onion, minced
- juice of 1/2 orange
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- salt and pepper
put a pot of salted water on to boil and toss in your shrimp, allow them to boil for about 2 -3 minutes or just until pink being careful not to over cook. no one likes rubbery shrimp! transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking process.
chop em up, add to a bowl with the rest of your ingredients and toss to combine. simple as that!
Lazy Empanadas
- one package of reduced fat crescent dough
- 1 white onion, chopped
- 1 package of sliced baby bellas
- 4 tbs sliced green olives with pimento
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup golden raisins
- 2 tbs Au Jus Sauce (or your liquid of choice – see below)
- reduced fat shredded mozzarella cheese
- salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 400.
Start by heating a large skillet over medium – high heat. Once heated, coat it generously with non-stick cooking spray and add your onions. Let them break down a good bit and once they’re beginning to brown, deglaze your pan. We used an au jus sauce by Johnny’s for it’s intense flavor. However, if you prefer to keep the dish vegetarian, just use veggie stock or even leftover wine (red or white would work). Using a wooden spoon, scrape up all the yummy bits off the pan. Then add your garlic and season with salt and pepper. Saute a minute more and transfer mixture to a large bowl.
Coat the same skillet again with non-stick spray and add your mushrooms. Let them go for about 8 -10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once they begin to break down they’re going to release a bit of liquid, at that time, add your raisins and olives. Saute for about 5 minutes more and then transfer the mixture to your bowl to combine with your onions and garlic. Set aside to cool. This will be your filling for your empanadas.
Unroll your crescent dough and using the little perforated triangles, add about a tablespoon of cheese to the center of each, next add about a tablespoon of filling. Be careful not to overfill or they won’t fold well. Then fold the triangle over on itself to form another, smaller triangle. Place on a foil lined cookie sheet. Once you’ve made prepared all of your empanadas, spray the top of each with non-stick cooking spray. This will ensure a nice, brown crust. Bake them for about 20 minutes or until they’re nicely browned and no longer doughy.
We scarfed ours down with a store bought chimichurri dipping sauce but you can eat them plain or with your dipping sauce of choice; sour cream, salsa, etc.
As a side note, I do realize that traditional empanadas are little half moons shapes so if you’re up to it, you could roll your dough out and use a round cookie cutter to create circles and then fold them into little half moons but I wasn’t so this is the lazy empanada version.
Sweet Potato and Beet Puree
- 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
- 1 small package of beets*
- 1 head of garlic
- 1/2 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup fat free sour cream
- 1/4 cup of IPA beer**
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 400.
Coat a casserole with nonstick spray. Add your potatoes and beets and season generously with salt and pepper. Toss them to coat.
Slice the top of your garlic bulb off and drizzle over your olive oil, a bit of salt and pepper. Wrap bulb tightly in foil and place directly on oven rack. You won’t be using the entire bulb for this recipe but don’t throw away the rest, save it to spread on toast or crackers – so good!
Roast for 40 mins or until beets and potatoes are fork tender.
Place potatoes, beets, 1/2 head of garlic, sour cream, beer, cumin, coriander and cayenne in food processor. Pulse until you reach a puree and season to taste with salt and pepper.
*Beets take a long time to cook so we used these by Melissa’s. They’re precooked so they roast up faster. You could substitute fresh and just add to the roasting time or use canned and nix the roasting all together, just heat them in the microwave before adding to your food processor.
**We used Harpoon’s IPA but you could substitute if you’d like. I would recommend sticking with an IPA though, so you achieve that slight bitterness that only an IPA can impart.
Salmon Tartare
- 1/2 lb filet of fresh raw salmon, skin removed
- 1 tbs fresh chives, finely chopped
- 1 tbs fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 small handful of baby arugula
- 1/2 large or 1 small shallot, minced
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 tbs capers
- 1/2 tsp green Tabasco sauce
- 1/4 tsp horseradish
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Start by putting your serving plate in the freezer because you want it to remain cold right up until you serve it.
If your salmon filet has the skin on, remove with a sharp knife and check for any bones. Don’t worry about butchering the fish while removing the skin because you’re going to chop it up anyway.
Roughly chop the fish into quarter inch cubes. While you’re preparing the rest of your ingredients, place salmon in a bowl in the fridge so that it stays cold.
Finely chop your shallot, chives, and parsley and add to your bowl along with salmon, horseradish, Tabasco sauce, capers, arugula, lemon zest, olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
Serve immediately on your chilled plate.
Blueberry Pizza
- 1 whole wheat pizza dough *
- 1/2 pint blueberries
- 1 package of pre-sliced pancetta
- 1 large white onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tbs balsamic
- 1 tbs cider vinegar
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 16 1″ chunks of brie **
- few sprigs fresh thyme
- good quality french sea salt (fleur de sel), pepper
Preheat oven to 400.
Line a baking sheet with foil and add your pancetta slices.
Bake for about 8 – 10 minutes or until it crisps up. Remove from oven and place on paper towels to drain. Crumble up and set aside. Leave the oven on as you will bake the pizza at the same temperature.
Add blueberries and just enough water to just cover them to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Add in your cider and balsamic vinegar, thyme and a bit of sea salt and pepper. Break berries with the back of a fork, remove from heat and set aside.
Meanwhile, get a skillet going over medium – high heat and coat it with non-stick spray. Add your onions and cook down for about 5 minutes, add your garlic and cook down about 10 minutes more or until onions are nice and caramelized.
Flour a work surface and roll out your pizza dough to a large square shape with the dough being about 1/2″ in thickness.
Transfer dough to a cookie sheet and reshape if needed. Top with blueberry sauce, onions, pancetta and brie.
Bake for 20 – 30 minutes or until the edges begin to brown.
Just before serving, finish off with a few more sprigs of thyme and a bit more sea salt.
* Get the soft dough that you roll out, not that Boboli crap. You can find it in the refrigerated section of most grocery stores these days. Or, if you’re feeling really adventurous, make your own!
** We used one with mushrooms in it… so good. But you could substitute with plain brie or an herb brie if you can’t find one with mushrooms.
Roasted Zucchini Quinoa
- 2 zucchini
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped
- 1/4 cup green olives with pimentos, chopped
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 Tbs honey
- 1/2 tsp turmeric roasted fennel seeds*
- 2 cups chicken broth
Preheat oven to 400. Halve your zucchinis length wise, sprinkle them with roasted fennel seed and roast for about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare quinoa using chicken broth in lieu of water.
In a separate pan, saute your onion and garlic over medium heat with a bit of salt and pepper for about 10 minutes.
Once your zucchini are done, remove from oven and allow to cool a few minutes, just enough to chop them into bite sized pieces.
Add olives, apricots, zucchini, onion mixture, honey, salt and pepper to your quinoa and toss to combine.
*A yummy fennel seed that’s seasoned with salt and turmeric that we got at a local Indian market. If you can’t find it, substitute with plain fennel seed, salt and turmeric.
Cuban Black Bean Dip
Although the black beans got top billing, the olives are really key here. They add a surprising pop of saltiness that pairs well with the richness of the beans.
Weeknight Gnocchi
Gnocchi is one of James’ favorite dishes but on a busy weeknight, making fresh gnocchi just isn’t an option. Luckily, there are a ton of great prepared ones on the store shelves these days. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the awesomeness that is gnocchi, they are basically little potato filled pasta pillows of yumminess. If you’ve never had it, or even if you have, go pick yourself up a bag and try out this easy, deliciously satisfying meal tonight!
Bleu Cheese and Grape Crostini
James treated us to some of his delicious bread this Thanksgiving and with the leftovers (which are rare!) I decided to make crostini.
Spicy Black Bean Burgers
I’ve been experimenting lately with different types of burgers. Now, I love a juicy hamburger as much as the next gal but sometimes I crave something hearty but heart healthy too.
- 1 16 oz. can black beans (I used Eden Foods, Organic Black Soy Beans)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 jalapeno
- 1/2 red onion
- 1/2 bell pepper (I used an orange one but you can substitute red or yellow, I wouldn’t use green as they have a slightly different flavor)
- 1/4 cup roasted red peppers
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp oregano
- salt and pepper
- 1 egg
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tbs olive oil
Add all ingredients, except egg, breadcrumbs and olive oil to food processor and pulse to combine. Once mixture comes together, transfer to a large bowl and add in egg and breadcrumbs. Form into 4 patties. Put them in the fridge for about 30 minutes, allowing them to set up.
Heat a skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Once the oil is heated, add patties and cook about 5 minutes per side.
We served these in pitas but they’d be good on buns too. Top with this yummy, simple sauce:
- 1/4 cup low fat sour cream
- 1 tbs horseradish
- 1 tsp whole grain mustard
- 1 tsp yellow mustard
Stir to combine. This sauce is great on just about anything. Top fish, chicken, steak or even use it as a dip for chips!