maple dijon roasted winter vegetables

so simple. so delicious. and so perfect for the winter season.

this recipe comes from gwyneth paltrow's cookbook. i love it because your palate gets a little bit of everything - sweet, spicy and salty. plus it's such a great side dish for any of your winter staples - roast chicken, panko crusted pork chops or herbs de provence steak.

ingredients:
3 tablespoons maple syrup
3 tablespoons dijon mustard
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 3-inch sticks about 1/2 inch thick
4 parsnips, peeled and cut into 3-inch sticks about 1/2 inch thick
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 3-inch sticks about 1/2 inch thick

directions:

preheat oven to 425 degrees.

mix together the syrup, mustard, oil, salt, and pepper. toss together with vegetables on a large baking sheet. roast, stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through, about 25 minutes.

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israeli couscous and tomato salad with arugula pesto

i have made basil pesto many many times. i had never made arugula pesto though.

so i decided to give it a whirl for the nanny family after finding the recipe in an issue of food and wine magazine.

it was simple and quite delicious. the arugula has a peppery kick and is high in vitamin a & c. and you can put this stuff on just about anything - pasta, shrimp, fish, chicken, beef, veggies. i suggest you give it a whirl sometime too.

ingredients:
6 cups packed arugula (6 ounces), plus whole leaves for garnish
2 cups israeli couscous (12 ounces)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/4 cup pine nuts
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 pints red cherry tomatoes, halved
4 yellow or orange tomatoes, cut into 1-inch dice

directions:
bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. add the 6 cups of arugula and blanch for 10 seconds. with a slotted spoon, transfer the arugula to a colander. rinse under cold water to stop the cooking, then drain.

add the couscous to the boiling water and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 10 minutes. drain the couscous and spread it out on a large baking sheet. drizzle lightly with olive oil and toss to prevent clumping. let the couscous cool to room temperature.

in a small skillet, toast the pine nuts over moderate heat, tossing, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. let cool.

squeeze the excess water from the arugula and coarsely chop it. transfer the arugula to a food processor. add the pine nuts, garlic, cheese and the 1/2 cup of olive oil and process until the pine nuts are finely chopped. season the pesto with salt and pepper.

transfer the couscous to a large serving bowl and stir in the pesto. gently fold in the tomatoes. garnish with the arugula leaves and serve.

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grilled corn with parmesan

these mini corn on the cobs are a great appetizer (or side dish) for an end of the summer cookout. get your hands on some fresh corn before the season is over. the sweetness from corn pairs perfectly with the spicy chili powder and salty parmesan.

assembling these cutie pies couldn’t be easier – just set up your “dredging” stations and it will go quickly. serving them on a stick keeps your hands clean and free of a greasy mess.  i mean, who doesn’t like food on a stick?

ingredients:
4 ears of corn, cut into thirds
¾ cup – 1 cup light sour cream
¾ cup – 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (use the real stuff, not the bottled kind)
chili powder

directions:
cook ears of corn in boiling pot of water for 5 minutes. drain and place popsicle or kabob stick into each mini ear of corn.

set up two bowls – one for sour cream (with basting brush) and one for freshly grated parmesan cheese. working quickly, slather each ear of corn with about 1 tablespoon light sour cream. sprinkle with 1 tablespoon cheese and garnish with a dusting of chili powder. repeat 11 more times. serve immediately.

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bbq chicken tenders with corn and lima bean succotash

another meal for the kiddies.  nothing seems more like summer to me than barbecue sauce and some corn on the cob.  but I wanted to give this summertime favorite a little sprucing up. 

my nanny family (that’s my name for them) isn’t big on processed or premade foods so i decided to make my own barbecue sauce. 

it’s easier than you think.  really though – you combine 5 ingredients in a pot over low heat and let simmer for 10 minutes.  that’s it. 

ingredients:

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup cider vinegar

2 tablespoons molasses

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon water

1 pound chicken breast tenders

4 ears of fresh corn

2 cups lima beans (frozen or fresh)

2 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons garlic powder

Salt and pepper

directions:

preheat oven to 350 degrees.

combine first 5 ingredients in small sauce pot.  season with salt and pepper. cook over low heat for 10 minutes.

season chicken tenders with olive oil, salt and pepper.  place on baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, turning once. remove from oven and brush both sides with homemade barbecue sauce.  put back in the oven for 2 minutes.

bring large pot of water to a boil.  add corn and cook for about 7 minutes. remove from pot, let cool and cut off kernels with sharp knife. 

meanwhile, fill a medium sauce pot with 1 inch of water.  bring to a boil, add lima beans, cover with lid and reduce to simmer.  cook for about 5 minutes until tender.

in a large bowl combine corn kernels, lima beans, butter, garlic powder, salt and pepper. 

serve 3-4 chicken tenders per person with a heaping portion of succotash.

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buttermilk ranch mashed potatoes

most people know about my obsession with ranch. i took my addiction to a whole new level when i combined this love with my other great love, potatoes, to make these buttermilk mashies.

the result? a garlicky-herbed concoction that has me contemplating whether i should go to ranch-rehab. my grandfather is on a no-carbs diet and he went back for thirds. that there says it all. hopefully the ranch clinic has room for two.

ingredients:
10 red potatoes (skin on), cut into 1-inch cubes
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon hidden valley ranch salad dressing & seasoning mix
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1/2 cup light sour cream
salt and pepper

directions:
place the potatoes in a large saucepan, add enough water to cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes - cooking time will depend on what size you cut the potatoes. use fork method to determine when they're ready.

once potatoes are cooked, drain in colander and return to pot. using a masher, mash until potatoes reach desired consistency - some like 'em creamy, some like 'em chunky. stir in buttermilk, ranch, chives, and sour cream. season with salt and pepper. garnish with more chives and serve hot.

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mexican grilled corn

this recipe comes from ezra pound cake. i didn't really change anything from the original except i substituted the mexican crema for low-fat sour cream. the sweetness from the fresh corn paired with the creaminess of the sour cream and spicy-ness from the chili powder was pure perfection.

ingredients:
corn ears, husked
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup light sour cream

directions:
preheat grill to medium-high. in a small bowl, combine chili powder and salt/pepper. wrap each corn husk in tinfoil. place on grill and cook about 10 minutes, turning frequently.

remove from grill and remove tinfoil.  slather each corn husk with generous amount of sour cream, spreading over entire husk. sprinkle with chili powder mixture. eat immediately!

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marinated tomatoes with feta

here's a great, light side dish for your spring-time cooking. the red onion and red wine vinegar give it a deliciously tangy bite. this recipe couldn't be easier and tastes better the longer it marinates so you can make it in advance. this would be great to bring to picnic or backyard barbecue.

ingredients:
1 pints grape tomatoes
2 tablespoons red onion, small diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons evoo
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parlsey
1/4 cup feta cheese, in large chunks
salt and pepper


directions:
combine onion, garlic and red wine vinegar in large bowl. whisk in evoo. season with salt, pepper and parsley. add tomatoes and stir well to combine. gently fold in feta (making sure not to crumble the cubes). put in fridge and let marinate for at least one hour or overnight.

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garlic teriyaki edamame

i made this tonight as a quick easy appetizer while we were cooking dinner. they were sweet, tangy and salty - all in one bite. it is seriously so easy and a great way to spruce up your favorite soybeans. i found the recipe over at allrecipes.com and tweaked it a little bit.

ingredients:

1 (16 ounce) package frozen edamame in the pod

1/4 cup teriyaki sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

2 teaspoons garlic powder

kosher salt

directions:

combine teriyaki, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, sesame oil and garlic powder in a bowl.meanwhile, cook edamame according to package directions (i bought the kind you can microwave).

heat large saucepan over medium high heat. add cooked edamame and teriyaki mixture. cook and stir constantly until the sauce has thickened and coats the edamame, about 4 minutes. sprinkle with sesame seeds and kosher salt to serve. enjoy!

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greek orzo salad

this is a great, easy side dish that comes together pretty fast. it's refreshing, light and pretty healthy. you can add any veggies you like. great substitutions would be zuchinni, spinach, capers, or sundried tomatoes.


ingredients:
1 cup dried orzo
2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/4 olives, sliced
1/4 cup red onion, minced
1/4 cup feta cheese
1/3 cup cucumber, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons parsley, minced
1-2 tablespoons evoo
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 teaspoon oregano
s&p

directions:
bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  add orzo and cook according to package directions.  meanwhile add tomatoes, olives, red onion, feta, cucumber, garlic and parsley in a large bowl.  once pasta has finished cooking, add hot noodles to vegetable mixture. add evoo, lemon juice, oregano and s&p. serve immediately or at room temperature.

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roasted cauliflower with gremolata bread crumbs

ever find yourself looking for that perfect side dish that comes together in a flash? well, i've found it for you courtesy of food 52 via the thin chef. the herbed gremolata is a mixture of lemon zest, panko, garlic and parsley. cauliflower can be pretty bland, but this recipe adds a great punch.

ingredients: 
2 large heads cauliflower
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
s&p
1/2 cup panko (japanese bread crumbs)
zest of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley

directions:
preheat oven to 425 degrees. trim tough stem and core from cauliflower and discard. using a paring knife, cut cauliflower into smaller spears. place in a large bowl. add 1/4 cup oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper; toss to combine. spread cauliflower out on 2 large, rimmed baking sheets. roast until edges start to brown, about 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. add panko and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and stir to coat in oil. cook, stirring constantly, until bread crumbs are golden. add lemon zest and garlic and toss until mixture is very fragrant and bread crumbs are golden brown, about 2 minutes. place in a medium bowl and add parsley, stirring to combine. set aside. remove cauliflower from oven and place on serving platter. top with bread crumbs and serve immediately.

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a glamourous meal made by the ultimate glamour girl

it only seems fitting that raelynn surprised us roomies with a meal that she found while reading glamour. rae is an absolute girly girl who still gets kicks out of curling her eyelashes every morning.


the magazine featured an entire meal made by one of my favorites, ina garten. it was simple, fresh and light. with lots of vibrant herbs and a zing of lemon juice, this is the perfect entertaining menu for any type of cook. click on the links below to get the recipes.


roasted salmon with green herbs
french string bean salad
couscous with roasted pine nuts

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deconstructed stuffed chicken with spinach, goat cheese and pinenuts

click image to zoom in.
i added a little too much sauce, so you can't see the chicken that good - but i promise it's there!

meagan's mom, denise, sent me a stuffed chicken recipe the other day. i decided to improvise a little and take all the ingredients that were used to stuff the chicken and make it in a sauce to top the chicken. i served it with orzo with a sun-dried tomato vinaigrette. i kept the portions small; it served as the perfect light dinner for two. everything was delicious.

ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup light cream
1/4 cup soft goat cheese
3 tablespoons panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup uncooked orzo
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, packed in oil
1 tablespoon oil from sun-dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons low sodium chicken stock
1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 small garlic clove, minced
evoo
s&p

directions for chicken:
take about 1.5 to 2 tablespoons of goat cheese, roll it into a ball and flatten into a patty. repeat and make a second patty. coat in evoo and roll in panko bread crumbs. put in fridge for about 5 to 10 minutes. meanwhile dredge chicken in flour. heat skillet with evoo over medium high heat. fry chicken about 4 minutes per side until golden brown. remove from pan and set aside. add cream to pan, scraping up the browned bits from the chicken. add half of frozen thawed spinach, s&p and pine nuts. let sauce reduce by half. meanwhile, heat a small skillet with evoo. fry goat cheese patties about 2 minutes per side until golden brown. to serve, top chicken with pan sauce and add goat cheese on top of that.

directions for orzo:
cook the orzo according to package directions. set aside in strainer. in a food processor, mix together tomatoes, broth, vinegar, garlic, sun-dried tomato oil and s&p until smooth. add half of spinach to orzo and mix with vinaigrette. add more s&p if needed and serve warmed or chilled.

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homemade reduced fat guacamole

(photo credit - latimes.com)

i got inspiration for this lighter version from whole foods. they sell "reduced fat" guacamole that has half the calories of the regular stuff. i was skeptical at first, but after looking over the ingredient list on the label, i decided to give it a try. the trick is subbing out avocados for peas. you still use an avocado in this recipe, just not as many as you normally would. it turned out really good and i could hardly tell there was an avocado missing. if you don't have peas on hand, you can also try it with edamame.

ingredients:
2 ripe avocados, diced
1 cup frozen peas, cooked and cooled
1/4 cup onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 tomato, seeded and diced
juice of 1 lime
s&p

directions:
place peas and 1 avocado in food processor, blending until smooth. in a bowl, mix together remaining avocado, pureed pea mixture and the rest of the ingredients. mash a little bit with a fork, leaving some chunks of avocado. season with more s&p if needed.

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scalloped tomato casserole with cape cod chopped salad

when i first mentioned to the girls that i would be making a tomato casserole for dinner, i received 3 stink faces staring back at me. no one seemed to thrilled at the idea, but i told them to just trust me and go with it. the recipe is from ina garten and i knew she wouldn't let me down (she is the barefoot contessa after all). by the end of dinner, the girls were proclaiming that this meal was one of the best things i've ever made. i know i say that everything is good (because it is) but this was seriously good. it was the perfect summer dish to highlight the seasonality of fresh tomatoes. i served it with a simple cape cod chopped salad - also from ina. the only changes i made were to swap turkey bacon for regular bacon, swap blue cheese for crumbled goat cheese, swap toasted walnuts for candied pecans and add diced avocado.

my picture didn't turn out as well as i would have hoped, but one of my favorite bloggers, smitten kitchen, also made this dish. check out her masterpiece.

ingredients:
evoo
3 cups (1/2-inch diced) bread from a french boule (we found an asiago cheese boule)
16 plum tomatoes, cut 1/2-inch dice (about 2 1/2 pounds)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup julienned basil leaves
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

directions:
preheat the oven to 350 degrees. heat 3 tablespoons of evoo in a large saute pan over medium heat. add the bread cubes and stir to coat with the evoo. cook over medium to medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the cubes are evenly browned.

meanwhile, combine the tomatoes, garlic, sugar and s&p in a large bowl. when the bread cubes are done, add the tomato mixture and continue to cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. off the heat, stir in the basil.

pour the tomato mixture into a shallow (6 to 8 cup) baking dish. sprinkle evenly with the parmesan cheese and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of evoo. bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the top is browned and the tomatoes are bubbly.

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salt & vinegar potatoes

i got this recipe from heidi over at 101cookbooks.com. as many of you know, i have a serious addiction to chips and knew i needed to make these asap. they were absolutely delicious and tasted exactly like the fried version without being too tangy. confirmation that the recipe was a success came when scotty taste tested and said "you know what these taste like? those salt and vinegar chips." duhhhh. silly daddy. chips are for kids. these are potatoes.

ingredients:
2 cups white vinegar
1 pound yukon gold potatoes, cut in thin slices
evoo
kosher salt
pepper

directions:
place potato slices in medium saucepan. pour vinegar over potatoes, making sure all of them are covered completely. bring to boil and then reduce heat, cooking for about 5 minutes until potatoes are fork tender. remove from heat and let them sit in vinegar for about 30 minutes. drain well and liberally season with evoo, kosher salt and pepper.  heat grill to medium high heat. grill potatoes about 5 minutes per side, until they get some nice grill marks. serve immediately.

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birthday dinner part 2: sage mozzarella risotto with turkey bacon

i adapted this recipe from cooking light based on what we did or didn't have in the kitchen.  it truly was the perfect pairing for the filet mignon i had made with it. the pan sauce for the steaks snuck over to the risotto on the plate and added even more flavor. i know that a lot of people get scared when they see the word risotto (kim) but i promise it's worth the effort. there is nothing more delicious then a hot bowl of cheesey bacon risotto.

ingredients:

4.5 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/4 cups arborio rice
1-2 teaspoons dried sage
6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, diced
6 slices turkey bacon, cut into small pieces
evoo
s&p

directions:

bring chicken broth to a simmer in a sauce pan, keeping warm over low heat.  in a dutch oven, heat evoo over medium high heat.  cook turkey bacon until crispy. melt butter in bacon renderings. add garlic and onion, cooking for about 4 minutes.  do not let the garlic burn or you will have to start over. add rice and s&p, cooking for 1 minute. add broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next ladle. this process will take anywhere between 20 and 30 minutes. once done, stir in sage and more s&p. remove from heat, add mozzarella and top with crispy turkey bacon.

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