Cherry Tomato Feta Pasta Salad

Summer is here - time for fresh veggies and fruit! We received our first CSA delivery this week, which included the local Evenstar farm's first summer harvest of organic goodies. For those who don't know about CSAs, it stands for Community-Supported Agriculture. Basically, people pay a chunk of money up front to the farm and in turn the farm shares a portion of its weekly harvest. It's great to get freshly-picked produce every week and contribute to a local business.

This week's loot came on Wednesday with a pleasant surprise of lots of cherry tomatoes, which usually come later in the season. As of Sunday, everything in the picture above was eaten! I found this pasta salad on SimplyRecipes.com that was simple to make and let the tomatoes star with lots of supporting flavors. It would be great to bring to an outdoor cookout or party.

RECIPE:

8oz orzo pasta

1-2 pints cherry tomatos, sliced in half

8oz feta cheese, crumbled

1 large cucumber, peeled and chopped

2 green onions, thinly sliced

2 tbsp fresh oregano, minced

juice of one lemon

black pepper (freshly ground if available)

olive oil

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta in a fine mesh sieve so the tiny pasta don't slip through the colander holes. Rinse pasta with cold water. Transfer pasta to a large bowl. Drizzle olive oil onto pasta. Start with a small amount, and add more later if needed. Add cherry tomatoes, feta, cucumber, green onions, oregano, lemon juice and toss. Add black pepper to taste. Serve chilled. Makes 8-10 side servings.

Beef & Spinach Noodle Stir-Fry

Delicious, easy, light, weeknight meal that will definitely be made again in my house! Another one from Cooking Light magazine, and I made a couple small changes to add more beef and more ginger.

RECIPE:
6oz uncooked wide rice noodles
1lb top sirloin steak, cut into thin strips
1 cup green onions, sliced
2 cups shiitake mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 6oz bag baby spinach
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2 tsp Sriracha
canola oil
salt
sesame seeds

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cold water. Combine rice vinegar, lime juice, soy sauce, and ginger in a small bowl and whisk together. Heat a large skillet or wok over high heat. Add canola oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add green onions and steak; stir fry until steak is mostly browned all over, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic; stir-fry 1 minute. Add spinach; stir-fry 1 minute or until wilted. Add vinegar mixture to wok and cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in noodles, sesame oil, and salt; cook for 1 minute or until noodles are thoroughly heated, tossing to combine. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Makes 4 servings. (per serving: 408 cals, 13g fat, 56g carb, 17g protein)

Feijoada (Brazilian Black Bean Stew)

Meat-lovers, this is for you! While visiting Brazil, I never got a chance to try this stew that is supposedly the country's national dish, but I had heard good things. I was looking for a stew recipe because perhaps (hopefully!) these chilly days are coming to an end and soon I'll have tons of fresh produce to cook. I started with a recipe from Simply Recipes and tweaked it a bit. I reduced the amount of meat in the stew because the recipe had, no joke, 5 1/2 pounds of meat and I simply couldn't find all the different kinds in my local store. But I looooove black beans, so I subbed in more of those. Be prepared to take either a walk or a nap after devouring a bowl of this hearty stew!

RECIPE:

1 1/2 pounds dry black beans, rinsed and soaked in water overnight

1 lb beef shoulder, cut into bite-size chunks

1 lb smoked Keilbasa sausage, sliced into bite-sized chunks

1/2 lb fresh sausage (I used Italian-style chicken)

1 lb cured ham, cubed

2 large onions

1 head garlic, peeled and minced

3 bay leaves

14oz of crushed tomatos

1 bunch green onion, sliced

2 oranges, sliced

olive oil

salt

crushed red pepper flakes

hot sauce

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and brown beef shoulder and chicken sausage. When browned, remove the meat and set aside. Add ham cubes, onions, and garlic to the pot and sautee until onions are translucent. Cut chicken sausage into chunks. Add the beef shoulder and chicken sausage back in, along with the other meats, beans, dash salt, bay leaves and a few shakes of red pepper flakes. Add just enough water to cover everything, then bring to a boil. Skim off any foam that comes to the surface, then reduce to a low simmer and cover. Simmer for about 2 hours, until beans are tender. Stir in crushed tomatoes and add hot sauce and salt to taste. Simmer uncovered for at least another half hour. Serve over your favorite rice (I used jasmine from the Asian market, because it is heavenly with everything) and top with sliced green onion and orange slices.

Mexican Casserole

This is a healthy way to satisfy a craving for Mexican enchiladas. I liked all the added vegetables, it made the dish hearty and added more texture than just tortillas and meat like in most restaurant enchilada dishes. Jarred chunky-style salsa could be used in this recipe to save time, but I had enough time to make my previously posted salsa which tasted even better. I couldn't find green enchilada sauce, so I used the red sauce instead. Looking forward to leftovers for lunch!

RECIPE:

2 cups salsa

1 cup onion, chopped

1 cup corn, fresh or frozen

1 zucchini, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

3 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

10 oz can green chile enchilada sauce

4 oz can chopped green chiles

12 6" corn tortillas

1-2 cups shredded mexican blend cheese

Preheat oven to 350F. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, corn, zucchini, garlic, bell pepper and saute for 5-10 minutes or until tender. Add chicken, chili powder, cumin, enchilada sauce, green chiles and saute 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Spread 1/2 cup salsa in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Arrange 6 tortillas over salsa. Spoon 1/2 chicken mixture evenly over tortillas. Top with 3/4 cup salsa. Sprinkle with cheese. Repeat layers, starting with remaining 6tortillas and ending with cheese. Bake at 350F for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Makes 8 servings (per serving: 331 cals, 12g fat, 31 g carbs, 26g protein).

Pork Tenderloin Stuffed with Figs & Blue Cheese

This recipe is from Cooking Light's "Best Of" collection, and it did not disappoint! I was looking to try something I hadn't cooked before, and also a dish that might be good for a large group. Once I read the recipe and saw that the meat was stuffed with blue cheese and dried figs, I couldn't think of a better combination.


REVIEW: The dish was so tender and the figs and blue cheese filling really complimented the meat without seeming too overwhelming. Overall, it was really easy too! I didn't change much, except for the recipe called for a one pound tenderloin, but the smallest I could find was 2.5lbs. The package contained two pieces of meat, so I just made two and cooked them for a little longer. Total cooking time was about 40 minutes. I doubled the stuffing to accommodate the two as well. Lots of welcome leftovers! A food processor worked great for chopping the figs. I served the meat with a side of asparagus and always tasty wild rice pilaf.

How good does that look right out of the oven?!



RECIPE:

1 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed
1/2 cup dried figs, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp apple jelly
cooking spray
twine


Preheat oven to 450F. Line a baking dish with foil and spray with cooking spray. Slice pork in half lengthwise, cutting to but not through the other side (like Subway cuts their bread). Open halves and lay meat flat. Place pork between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound to 1/2" thickness with a meat mallet. Sprinkle dried figs and blue cheese over pork, leaving a 1/4" border around outside edges. Roll up the pork while tucking in the filling. Secure at 2" intervals with twine. Sprinkle roll with salt and pepper and set into baking dish. Bake at 450F for 20 minutes. Brush jelly over pork. Bake an additional 5 minutes until meat is slightly pink or thermometer reads 160F. Let stand 10 minutes. Discard twine; cut pork into 1" thick slices. Makes 4 servings. (per serving: 274 cals, 9g fat, 20g carbs, 28g protein)

Simple Holiday Meal

Even though I was out of town for Christmas Day, I still wanted to make a holiday meal for the fun of it. The meal ended up being simple, healthy, and not over the top which is exactly what I needed after all those Christmas cookies fell into my mouth over the weekend. I did a bunch of searching online and came up with three dishes: roast turkey with gravy, garlic mashed potatoes, and roasted brussel sprouts. Each one was delicious, and I followed each recipe exactly, so I'll just provide a link to where I got them.

For the roast turkey, I used Martha Stewart's butter/white wine/ cheesecloth method.
http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/how-to-roast-a-turkey
Since this was only the 2nd time I've attempted a whole turkey, I loved the step-by-step instructions complete with pictures. Turkey for Dummies! :) I didn't feel like putting in the work to brine the turkey, and it turned out that I didn't need to, the turkey was super moist and flavorful without it. It looked pretty too. I also used her gravy recipe made from giblet stock, absolutely fantastic. No stuffing though, it's not my thing!

The garlic mashed potatoes were from Steamy Kitchen's blog...so easy and delish.
http://steamykitchen.com/12025-roasted-garlic-mashed-potatoes.html

By far the most interesting dish on the table was the roasted brussel sprouts with a pistachio-cranberry pesto, also from Steamy Kitchen.

http://steamykitchen.com/9035-roasted-brussels-sprouts-cranberry-pistachio-pesto.html

I prepped everything while the turkey was cooking, then when the turkey was done and out of the oven, I stuck 'em in to roast while the turkey rested. Great timing. I hadn't had brussel sprouts since my mother made them in '88 and my husband has never had them, so it was a gamble (and I think I won!). These had a yummy sweet/salty contrast from the pesto, and the texture of the sprouts was crisp on the outside, tender on the inside. Just perfect.

I hope you try some of these and like them as much as I did!

Baked Salmon with Tomato-Caper Sauce

I got this recipe from my awesome chef friend, Erica, a long time ago and finally decided to try it for a girls' dinner that I was hosting. It was the first time a few of my friends had sampled my cooking, so I really wanted to impress. :) It definitely didn't disappoint in both presentation and taste. Sides of roasted asparagus and mashed sweet potatoes rounded out the meal. One thing needed for this recipe is a good oven-proof skillet. Luckily, a few weeks before the dinner I received a fantastic All-Clad stainless saute pan from Crate & Barrel as a very generous gift.

RECIPE:

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon drained capers
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 center-cut salmon fillets with skin (about 7 ounces each)
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon minced parsley
1 tablespoon chopped basil

Preheat oven to 425F. In a bowl, toss the tomatoes with the shallot, capers, vinegar and 1/2 tsp of salt. In a medium ovenproof skillet, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil. Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper and add it to the skillet, skin side up. (Depending on how big the skillet, you may be able to fit more than one fillet in the pan, but don't crowd!) Cook over moderately high heat until well-browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Carefully flip the fillets. Transfer skillet to oven and roast until the salmon is cooked through, about 7-10 minutes. Transfer the fish to plates and pour off any fat in the skillet. Cover with foil to keep warm. Place the skillet over moderate heat and add the tomato mixture along with the cumin, canola oil and remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil. Cook, scraping up any bits stuck to the skillet, until the tomatoes just soften, about 2 minutes. Pour the sauce over the salmon, sprinkle with fresh parsley and basil, and serve immediately.