Red Onion Soup with Sun Dried Tomato and Gruyere Crouton

Servings:  6 to 8
Preparation Time:  1 hour

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter
4 large red onions, thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup red wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 quart beef broth
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme

8 (1/4-inch) slices French bread baguette

4 tablespoons julienned sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained 4 ounces Gruyere cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
4 ounces finely grated Parmesan cheese (about ½ cup)

 

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large soup pot over medium high heat.

Stir in the onions and season with salt and pepper.  Cook until the onions are soft and just beginning to brown, stirring often, about 20 minutes.

Pour in the red wine and stir in the tomato paste. Pour in the beef broth.  Add the bay leaf.  Bring the soup to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Stir in the fresh herbs.  Simmer for 5 minutes more.

Preheat the broiler.

Toast the bread slices on one side until golden, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Spread a teaspoon of sun dried tomatoes onto the center of each slice.  Ladle the soup into oven proof crocks.  Place the crocks into a baking dish or jelly roll pan.

Top the soup with a bread slice and generously sprinkle with both cheeses.  

Broil the soup until bubbly and just beginning to brown, about 3 to 5 minutes.

A Proper Tree Trimming Deserves Your Sunday Best!

Ask your decorator-in-chief to pop over for Herbed Parmesan Popovers, dipped in velvety red Pappa Al Pomodoro 

So, word is out on my new project, Sunday Best Dishes, and my heart is full.  I couldn’t be more thankful for the loyal friends who are testing the recipes inspired by those Sunday inspirations we all, whether we realize it or not, bring home to our kitchens.  The muse I’m talking about struck me in an Italian restaurant, on a recent cold night.  I came up with an idea for what to serve the night your Christmas tree goes up.  It’s tradition in our home to invite friends and family over for some gnoshing and decorating on the heels of Thanksgiving, and I wanted to change things up a bit from standing rib roast and creamed spinach. 

So here’s how the idea hit.  I won’t say which restaurant, since you’ll probably guess once I describe it. Carefully plated entrees and desserts were lined up in a glass display case. Big vases of calla lilies were everywhere, and cans of San Marzano tomatoes lined the shelves. Those tomatoes always excite me; they’re the highest quality canned product out there. Suddenly my imagination was bubbling like a big pot of tomato gravy. Once we were seated, I began to take notes.  Okay, I didn’t really take notes, though I could have under the soft glow of white lights strung over the tables.  A packet of crayons and a kids’ menu sat beside a giant carafe of red wine—a look that’s both elegant and incongruent, especially on a paper tablecloth. I wanted to pick up a fire-red crayon and write “Pappa Al Pomodoro” right there on the butcher paper.

My Sunday Best Pappa Al Pomodoro, which translates to “Tomato Soup with Bread” contains the highest quality plum tomatoes, olive oil, dry red wine and chicken stock one might use for this dish. I’d also like to point out that this recipe is a golden opportunity to use fennel, one of my all-time favorite ingredients. Fennel is in its natural season from late fall through early spring. You’ll want to pick up a fresh batch from your farmers market while the getting is good, before it bitters up in rising temperatures. You can store fresh fennel in a Ziploc bag for up to 10 days in your fridge, and use it in comforting chicken slow-cooker dishes all winter long.

But of course, one can’t have a savory soup without a savory bread to go with it—now of course I realize there are big chucks of ciabatta cubes already in the soup, but this is Christmas decorating night, and we can never be too much in the way of carbs! That’s why I’m pulling one off the menu from an old Tree Trimming Party: Herbed Parmesan Popovers. They resemble a Yorkshire pudding so they’re perfect for this time of year. Piercing them with a fork when they’re straight out of the oven is a great idea if you’re cold; a pillar of steam will warm those cheeks right up! Feel free to dip a popover into your soup, and get back to your decorating after just one bowl. No lollygagging about when there’s work to be done!

Soup’s On, And So is my Book Launch and Sunday Best Recipe Contest!

If you have a delicious dish, worthy of Sunday night dinner, I’d love to hear about it. I am now accepting submissions through March 30^th of your Sunday Best dish; just email the recipe to jorj@jorj.com. On Easter Sunday, 2013, I’ll announce the winner and send a grand prize of my newly launched book, plus a goody basket filled with high quality pantry staples. Bon Appetite, holiday gnoshers!           

Being a Vegan is Easy?

Well, my recipe for Quinoa Tabbouleh is, anyway!

 

When likeminded professional foodie, John Tanasychunk (of The Sun Sentinel) talks, hungry people listen. He wrote about “The Vegan Poet” and her upcoming appearance in a Broward County library. About 200 people showed up. I know it’s a bad pun, but Holy Cow!

As a cookbook author myself, I can’t afford to ignore how popular vegetarian/vegan lifestyles are becoming. Sublime Restaurant is a smashing success in my home base of Ft. Lauderdale, on the periphery of every savvy South Florida diner. In fact, veganism is such a lingering hot topic that when I started my food blog in 2009, I was encouraged by other bloggers to climb aboard the vegan train and try for the astonishing number of followers they seemed to have over us meat eaters.

 

Well, I said then “welcome to my uphill battle” and I still say it. As a meat lover on the same wave length as Anthony Bourdain (who dismisses veganism as “a first world phenomenon; completely self-indulgent), I still take note when I run into articles hypothesizing that climate change could present meat lovers with real problems by the year 2050. Read about it on Blisstree). So I looked to the Vegan Poet, aka Butteflies, for proof that becoming a vegan is easy.

 

Whether it is or it isn’t remains to be seen. Members of the audience were treated to a 9 minute clip of a documentary called Earthlings, which deemphasized our place in the food chain, and just about chastised those in the room who think farm animals belong outside. The disappointment was palpable; the notes takers with celiac disease and faulty gall bladders left their pages bank. It was easy to get the idea that most had come that day to learn about where to find vegan ingredients (the unusual stuff like agave syrup and tempeh), substitutions in lieu of dairy and meat products, and see if it was practical to give the lifestyle a try. If there hadn’t been food and plant based-hypoallergenic samples available (pictured here), I feel sure 90% of the audience would have walked out.

 

 

A fair number stuck around and paged through Butterflies’book. She’s a chef in New Zealand, currently touring the U.S. She’s got 6,000 followers on Facebook, and as someone who has worked very hard just to climb to 2,000 fans on the Nana Network, I can appreciate how interesting her subject matter must be to people. Her food that day had a super fresh, unprocessed taste. You could identify each and every herb from its Hari Krishna inspired spice rack, and there was also that comfort that subsequent heartburn was next to impossible.

 

I wrote this post so that my fans could have one-click access to some very good shortlists on how to stock up your vegan pantry: Here they are.

http://www.vegkitchen.com/tips/vegetarian-pantry/
http://www.mightyvegan.com/2011/08/09/my-10-vegan-pantry-essentials/

 

There’s also this cheat sheet/palm card I’ve typed up for you here:
• Nuts of all varieties
• Quinoa
• Chia seeds (for fiber)
• Oatmeal
• Dates
• Beans of all varieties
• Hummus
• Tofu
• Non diary milks (i.e. almond or soy)
• Nutritional yeast

 

And there’s my foolproof recipe for Quinoa Tabbouleh that functions almost like a currency among New Age eaters. I whipped this us last night and found that it has spot-on portions of the ingredients that make tabbouleh, tabbouleh: mint, parlsey, lemon juice, garlic….and the English cucumber that makes you feel special and refreshed just looking at its super-skinny, shrink-wrapped shape. Try it before September’s over—it’s National Yoga Month after all, and the enlightened eaters are more on our radar now than ever. Namaste, everyone.

Quinoa Tabbouleh

Quinoa looks like a grain, acts like a grain and tastes like a grain, but for all those gluten-free types, the good news is that quinoa is really a seed akin more to spinach and beets than to wheat. Using quinoa in tabbouleh is a brilliant way to add a bunch of protein to your salad.

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

1 cup quinoa

1 teaspoon coarse salt, divided
Juice from 1 large lemon, about 2 tablespoons
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
½ teaspoon yellow mustard
½ cup olive oil
½ teaspoon coarse pepper
1 large English cucumber, diced into ¼-inch cubes
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
4 to 5 green onions, thinly sliced, about ½ cup
½ cup chopped, fresh Italian parsley
½ cup chopped fresh mint

Place the quinoa into a saucepan. Add 1 ¼ cups water and ½ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan with a lid and simmer until the water disappears and the quinoa is tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Whisk together the lemon juice, garlic and mustard in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Season the dressing with ½ teaspoons salt and pepper.

Transfer the quinoa to a bowl. Stir in half of the dressing. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or overnight). Add the cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, parsley and mint to the quinoa. Toss with remaining dressing.

 

Flavorful Fava Beans

When my friend, Rose and I hit the farmer’s market this past week, we discovered a vendor with a large basket of fava beans. Also known as broad beans, you see them in the spring usually as a garnish on fresh salads. Most of the shoppers we observed shied away from the large pods. I suspect this is because either they did not know how to get the bean from the pod or they did not know how to cook them. Undaunted, I stuffed my plastic bag with a couple of handfuls of bean pods and off we went.

And then a funny thing happened. After we got the beans home, and I offer to give them a try, Rose finds a link to a grilled fava bean post on the Food 52 website. http://food52.com/recipes/18008_ignacio_mattoss_grilled_favas

You know what comes next – a fava bean showdown! Rose followed the grilled recipe and I made them for a fresh salad.

First, you slice a slit down the seam of the pod and pry it open with your fingers. 

Remove the beans from the pods and plunge them into boiling salted water for about 3 minutes. 

The outer shells will open to reveal the bright green fava bean inside. 

Remove the outer shell and the beans are ready to use in a colorful salad like this one!

Although you might think that the fava bean is similar to a lima bean, you will be surprised to taste the clean, crisp flavor. Use the beans in a fresh salad or sauté them quickly to add as a garnish for any dish. I say garnish because you need about a pound of fava bean pods to produce about 1/3 cup of fava beans!

Rose’s grilled beans uses a flavorful marinade to season the entire pod. Grill the pods and return them to the bowl with the marinade. Add chopped anchovies and toss to create an entirely edible fava bean pod with the tender beans a surprise inside.

Let me know how you like your fava beans – grilled or blanched!

Notes from a Blue Ridge Locavore

http://www.christopherjmorgan.com/

Hi Friends! I am delighted to be back in the North Carolina Mountains for the summer.  After unpacking my bags, I made a run for the best farmer’s market in Boone, NC. They’ve got legendary vendors, offering everything from radishes the size of billiard balls to homemade strawberry-chocolate jam. I’ve included links to these locavores!” Gotta love that tongue twister! If Peter picked a peck of pickled peppers from the Watauga Farmers Market, they’d be lovingly canned into something you couldn’t get enough of—like Fire from the Mountain.   

Returning to this farmer’s market on Saturdays means I get to decorate my supper table with the region’s best. This is a recent display.

You’re looking at Soft Shell Crabs served on a bed of yummy collards, olive oil-poached salmon, slow roasted over herbs and cherry tomatoes, and an arranged grilled vegetable salad that featured eggplant, peppers, onions and locally grown tomatoes. Dessert was triple chocolate bread pudding, of course.

That same week, shopping locally meant dining on an herb rubbed organic chicken, raised humanely not 100 miles from home. I borrowed the recipe for Foolproof Rotisserie Chicken from the New Life Farm Stand and slow roasted it—the chicken really merits its very own blog entry and I promise you I’ll get to it soon. I simply wanted you to have this super easy, DEEPLY satisfying recipe on file for those lazy summer weekends ahead.  

What’s on the table tonight—in this insane locavore tour of Boone—is the Fresh Catch!

The purveyor was Carolina Beach Mobile Seafood. I couldn’t believe their selection. I mean talk about fresh! Some of them were still moving among an array of catfish, grouper and shrimp. The fish monger on duty offered me a sheet of paper as she was packaging up my treasure. I looked down and read the instructions on how to clean the crab.

“What? You don’t clean the crabs?” I asked a little nervously.

“No, Maam.”
Well OK then. Off I went.  

Dealing with my awesome haul of seafood later that night, I found that cleaning the first crab was a little scary, but by crab number six I was an old pro. I sautéed them in butter and olive oil and made a pan sauce with lemon, garlic and wine. I can’t begin to describe how good it was so I won’t even try.

But what I will do is describe the local food scene—you’ll need to know it, if you ever come to call. Among my favorites are Lulu’s Sweet and Savory—bread puddings to die for. I don’t know whether to be proud or ashamed, but I cleaned up with Lulu. It was only my first trip out, and already I’ve bought enough decadent bread puddings to fill one whole shelf of my freezer. I cannot wait to dig into one particular concoction that I bought there, featuring mushroom, rosemary and goat cheese.

Then there’s Cheryl Piraccie, offering samples of her home made jams. Check out the photo of this pair of Bella Rooster sweetness.

I’ve learned I cannot abide this life without her Chocolate-Strawberry Jam. Cheryl modestly compares it to Nutella, but Nutella has never tasted like this! I thought I’d hit the ceiling of euphoric foodie highs and then…well…I saw the roadside spring greens. There were bright collards and kale, dewy lettuce mixes and crisp garlic scapes. What more can I say? I see a lot of salads and sautéed greens in my family’s future.

My summer experience has begun and my taste buds are already on high alert. If you can’t get to the mountains of North Carolina, check out the websites of the farmers’ market vendors near you. Some of them ship! Share your farmers’ market finds and fresh recipes with the readers here. Post a comment or send along your thoughts to Jorj@Jorj.com. More to come!!

Foolproof Food Days are Here Again

Here’s to Healthy, Favorable Food: A Show-stopping Roasted Ratatouille! 

Recipe by Rose Hegele

Ratatouille has different meaning for different cooks. Some view it at a side dish for bread dipping, pasta on the side. Some like their ratatouille heaped ON TOP of rice or fettuccini, while still yet, many a home cook doesn’t feature pasta with this dish at all. Rose Hegele is one such cook. Her Roasted Ratatouille is gorgeous the way a centerpiece is gorgeous. She has surrounded a savory, herb encrusted mountain of fresh vegetables, with cute little New Potatoes, roasted to perfection in rosemary and olive oil. I think the French of Nice—where the tradition of ratatouille started millennia ago—would absolutely love it. As a carb lover, I was practically giddy when I saw Rose’s Roasted Ratatouille.

I was thrilled because I’ve had ratatouille every which way: served as sauce, served as a side, baked in an oven, slow cooked in a crock pot, painstakingly layered with ingredients that were set aside and roasted separately later on. My verdict? It’s all pretty darn good. Ratatouille fulfills the same sort of prophecy as pizza or truffles: good no matter what. But then Rose stepped things up with her version, and I think I fell in love with it—not just because it tasted spectacular—but because it looked so darn good.  Those New Potatoes forming a happy little ring around the ratatouille look so golden and delicious. When is Rose inviting me over? She should understand that this praise is high coming from a meat lover. I love chicken, beef, pork—love it all, and sometimes, I admit it, miss it in a ratatouille. But not this time.

So tell us what YOU think! Try making Rose’s Roasted Ratatouille at home. She allows a lot of creative license with the veggies and spices.  She skips the eggplant recommended in the recipe, and doubles up on zucchini and squash instead.  She was also looking for a little kick and added a pinch of red pepper flakes, not included in her formal recipe. That’s the cool thing about cooking. Nothing is written in stone—there are these little asides cooks share when they exchange recipes. Try this surprise ingredient if you remember. If you don’t, there’s always next time!

Like I said, ratatouille means many things to many people. For those of us who don’t know what it is, and think it’s just a darling Disney movie…well, I cry for them a little. Please forward this article along. Remind them that a Rose ratatouille by any other name would smell as sweet.        

About the recipe contributor:  Rose Hegele has had a passion for cooking and experimenting for over 40 years; her recent diagnosis of gluten intolerance and children’s experience with autoimmune disorders has changed Rose’s approach to eating. She hopes to share her flavorful, healthy food and improve the lives of all. 

Rose’s Roasted Ratatouille

Serves: 4 to 6

Prep Time: about 45 minutes, plus roasting time

1 large eggplant, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes, about 3 cups
1 large zucchini, cut into 1-inch cubes, about 2 cups
1 medium yellow squash, cut into 1-inch cubes, about 2 ½ cups
½ pound fresh Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced, about 2 cups

1 whole marinated roasted red pepper, diced, about ½ cup

1 large red onion, peeled and diced, about 1 cup
1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs
4 tablespoons coconut oil, divided
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
4 medium garlic cloves, peeled and minced, about 1 tablespoon

1 tablespoon fresh thyme  leaves
½ pound fresh spinach leaves chopped, about 2 cups

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces artisanal goat cheese, crumbled, about 1 cup (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven 400.

Toss all the vegetables except the tomatoes with 3 tablespoons of the coconut oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and Italian herbs and toss to coat. Spread vegetables on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Place tin foil over vegetables.

In a separate bowl, toss the tomato halves with remaining (1 tablespoon) coconut oil, thyme and garlic and spread out on a smaller parchment lined cookie sheet. Roast about 30 minutes, tossing every 15 minutes. Check for doneness and cook 5 to 10 minutes more if needed.

Remove roasted tomatoes to a bowl and mash with a potato masher. Add tomatoes and spinach to roasted vegetables. Toss to coat with olive oil. 

Garnish ratatouille with goat cheese.

*To prepare this recipe as pictured, prepare Roasted New Potatoes to surround the entrée:

Roasted New Potatoes

1 1/2 lb of new potatoes (red or yellow skinned), cleaned, cut in half or quarters

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Place potatoes into a mixing bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add olive oil, rosemary, and garlic. Toss until potatoes are well coated.

Spread potatoes out on a single layer of a baking pan. Roast for 40 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through and browned. Serve immediately.

 

I Had a Midsummer Night’s Dream…

About Revisiting my Favorite Recipes for the Perfect Summer Solstice Party

The days are getting longer and home improvement shops are rolling out the outdoor pavilion sets. You know the ones—they have dreamy names like “Garden Oasis Gazebo”. Admit it! It’s fun to check out the plush cushions on the wicker patio stuff, and peek into hibachis where fake corn and steak adorn the grill. I like to picture a summer get together with guests roaming my backyard in cottony dresses, kids capturing lighting bugs, and happy campers of all ages queuing up at my buffet.

Though Memorial Day weekend is right around the corner, I can think of an even better date, further out, for a grand summer party: the summer solstice, on June 20th. It’s the longest day of the year, and appeals to Extreme Party Planners the world over. As I planned my party, I focused my eyes (and taste buds) on Scandinavia, plenty inspired to sit down and create my own summer solstice party on Pinterest.

Did I Pique Your Pinterest?

You’ll see when you visit my newest pinboard, that I’ve given myself over to the idea of seafood. The Scandinavians got it right. Picture it: salmon, lobster, lightly roasted vegetables—loads of starchy, wonderful potatoes coated in enough fresh dill, you’d swear it was lawn clippings and not just an abundance of herbs on the table. It would have been good to be a Viking! Roasted Fingerling Potatoes Topped with Smoked Salmon and Dill were the first appy to pop into my head. Please let me know if they land somewhere in your summer buffet.    

Summer Solstice Menu; All Oldies But Goodies!

For the entrée. How about making LOBSTER the Maine Event? Click the punny link to read my personal experiences signing a FedEx receipt for still alive, still squirming crustaceans. I know that lobster is a tall order in the present economy—so if you want to save, or just spare your guests from those small hammers and bibs, this is your next best thing: the Barbecued salmon hoagie. You’re going to fall in love with it the minute you see it—and it absolutely must be served with Chili roasted corn on the cob with lime cream. Serve Rosemary Baked Potatoes as one side, and Six veggie slaw with tarragon as the other; it’s the crisp, cool counterpart to what’s hot.

Dessert has to be light, creamy (a difficult juxtaposition in food, I know) and make you hum along to Billy Ocean’s Caribbean Queen. I’ve gotten compliments on my trifles, and the Tropical trifle is among the best in my trifling repertoire.

Simple Moonrise Parties in Lieu of the Bigger Bashes

I wouldn’t worry too much about dessert if the drinks offered at your party are cool in every sense of the word. I’m serving  Bourbon minted tea, which brings me round to describing what one of my readers shared with me recently. She serves this beverage during her moon rise parties—small gatherings that involve she and her husband, a few friends and a toast in the hour or two before dusk, when the moon looks like a bouncy bluish ball in the sky. I like to picture this friend in a white deck chair, glass in hand, enjoying the remains of the day. Please bookmark these published Moon rise times for the summer months ahead.

Enjoy them all! Summertime is a celebration of new beginnings and vitality!  Walk barefoot through the grass, my friends!      

It’s a Foolproof Food Day!

That means I step aside and let a guest poster regale us with tales from his or her kitchen! I hope you will test and enjoy Jessica’s Roasted Vegetable Couscous Salad. I look forward to reading your comments, left on this site and on my Facebook wall, viewed daily by tons of hungry Nanas. That’s it. Back to you, Jessica!

How a Roasted Veggie Salad I Made on the Fly Turned Out to Be More Than Magical
By Jessica Kettler

After a food-filled weekend spent around the TV with friends, all I wanted was a big plate of vegetables. But of course, when I asked the inevitable question to my husband, “Do you have any cravings for dinner this week?” his response was pasta.

Well….I was craving a big salad, so I figured I would try to combine the two to make us both happy! I had this big container of whole wheat couscous in my pantry, which I decided to start with, then do what I do best...merge and create! We ended up loving this salad so much I made a note to self to double the ingredients, so I can have leftovers for the week!

Think About This When You Shop for the Ingredients

I headed to the store and let the gorgeous produce section guide me through the ingredient list. Right before the checkout, I passed by a case of fresh mozzarella…and…presto, the idea started to come together! All I had to do was take great care in shopping for the olive oil and balsamic vinegar—because these are what really make the flavors in this dish. The link I just shared is a specialty olive oil place in Raleigh called “MidTown Olive Press” and that was where I bought the star ingredient for this dish. I usually reserve my good oils and vinegars for salads where you can really taste them, but the Tuscan Herb infused oil from MidTown seemed like a worthy gamble. We were pleasantly surprised at its impact on this recipe. All I can say is, WOW…did we ever end up happy!

Think About This When You Make the Dish

When you get around to viewing the complete list of ingredients, you’ll notice that a whole pint of pretty little cherry tomatoes, and other savory items to compliment them, go into this recipe. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to stir the tomato mixture around a few times while it marinates to evenly distribute the amazing flavors. Promise me you won’t forget?

Why I Love this Recipe

It’s incredibly low fat! It’s loaded with roasted vegetables and spicy arugula. The couscous can easily be substituted with quinoa (which I did for myself, to satisfy a gluten free eating preference.)

Why My Husband Loves this Recipe:

Okay, his reasons fit on a bullet list:
• fresh mozzarella
• couscous
• spice
• and I should mention again, fresh mozzarella!
P.S. Instead of tossing arugula into this couscous salad, my husband chose to add a chicken breast. And he was a very happy man :)

About Jessica Kettler: She loves everything about cooking; her husband loves everything about eating! She writes about satisfying HIS meat-and-potatoes preferences with HER love of sprouts and quinoa. Welcome to the ultimate kitchen compromise! See it on her blog kettlercuisine.com

Veggie Burgers with Spicy Cranberry Mayonnaise

2 cups dry lentils
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 (8-ounce) packages portobello mushrooms, chopped into ¼-inch dice (about 3 cups)
1 (16-ounce) red kidney beans, drained and mashed
1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
½ medium white onion, finely diced (about 1/3 cup)
4 medium cloves garlic, roasted and mashed
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 cup mayonnaise
½ cup canned whole berry cranberry sauce
½ medium jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced (about 1 tablespoon)
1 teaspoon cumin

8 whole wheat buns, toasted
Beefsteak tomatoes
Red onion

1. Place the lentils in a pot over medium heat. Cover with 4 cups of water. Simmer until the lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Remove 1 cup of the cooked lentils to a large bowl. Mash the remaining lentils.
2. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Cook the diced mushrooms until softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Place the mashed lentils and mushrooms into a large bowl.
4. Add the kidney beans, bread crumbs, onion, roasted garlic and Worcestershire to the bowl. Mix well.
5. Add the thyme and 1 cup whole lentils. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Use your hands to from the mixture into 8 large patties. Place each patty on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 2 hours.
7. Mix together the mayonnaise, cranberry sauce, jalapeno and cumin in a small bowl.
8. Cook the patties over a hot grill or in a grill pan for 5 minutes per side or until golden brown.
9. Serve on a toasted whole wheat bun with slices of ripe beefsteak tomatoes, red onion and a dollop of the mayonnaise.

Servings: 8
Preparation Time: 45 minutes plus refrigeration

Tomato and Sautéed Vegetable Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 large zucchini, chopped (about 2 cups)
2 large squash, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 small eggplant, chopped (about 3 cups)
4 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
1 pound button mushrooms, sliced (about 3 cups)
2 28-ounce cans chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons chopped basil
1 tablespoon chopped oregano
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt and freshly ground pepper

In the bottom of a large pot heat olive oil over medium high heat.

Cook the onions in the pot for several minutes. Add the zucchini and squash and cook until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the eggplant and cook until it begins to soften.

Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes more. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, oregano, and sugar. Simmer for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Serves a crowd; prep time: about 30 minutes.

Chili Roasted Corn on the Cob with Lime Cream

Servings: 6/ Preparation Time: 45 minutes

6 ears of fresh corn with husks
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground pepper
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup cream
Juice of 1 medium lime (about 1 tablespoon)

Submerge the corn (with the husks) in cold water for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.

Gently peel the husks away from the corn, leaving it connected at the stem. Clean the silk threads from the corn.
Stir together the melted butter, chili powder and cumin. Brush this mixture onto the corn.

Season with salt and pepper. Loosely rewrap the husks around the corn. Heat an outdoor grill over medium high heat. Grill the corn, turning often, watching carefully so that the husks do not burn. Transfer the corn to a platter.

For lime cream, whisk together both sour and regular cream with lime juice. Peel back the corn husks. Drizzle the lime cream over the corn. Garnish with an additional shake of chili powder.

Six-Veggie Slaw with Tarragon

Servings: 10 to 12
Preparation Time: 30 minutes

½ small head Savoy cabbage, shredded (about 2 cups)
6 large carrots cut into matchstick size julienne strips (about 2 cups)
1 fennel bulb, cut into matchstick size julienne strips (about 2 cups)
2 large yellow bell peppers, seeded and cut into matchstick size julienne (about 2 cups)
12 whole radishes, sliced into thin strips (about 1 cup)
2 medium zucchini, sliced into matchstick size julienne strips (about 2 cups)

Juice of 6 to 8 limes (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons honey
1 (1-inch) piece ginger, grated (about 1 tablespoon)
2 medium cloves garlic (about 1 teaspoon)
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves, chopped
1 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper


1. Cut the vegetables into similar size very thin strips.
2. Place all of the vegetables into a bowl.
3. Use a blender or food processor to combine the lime juice, honey, ginger, garlic and tarragon. Pulse to emulsify.
4. With the machine running, slowly add the oil and season with salt and pepper.
5. Pour the dressing into the bowl and toss with the vegetables. Chill the slaw before serving.

Derby Time Makes Us Crave the Southern Classics

The Secret to Really Good Oven-Fried Chicken, Collard Greens and Pecan Pie

We all know and love the term, “Spring is in the air,” but imagine, too, the divine way it smells, sliding into summer with our barbecues, mint juleps, potato salad and corn on the cob. Whether you’re setting an elegant table, or wearing a Kentucky Derby hat as you graze an outdoor buffet, three of my freshest traditions in American cuisine are laid out for your perusal.

Something to Toast the Most Exciting 2 Minutes in Sports With…

You can round up your friends, serve fried chicken and all the fixins, and tune into live Kentucky Derby coverage; click here for all the broadcasting info. Encourage frilly hats and sundresses on your party invitations, and channel pure Paula Deen when it comes to the menu. One day of butter n’ bacon never killed anyone—and I’ve got some twists and turns on the old Southern classics that’ll make your party guests start humming My Old Kentucky Home. Just make sure you serve plenty of Authentic Mint Juleps before the karaoke begins!

Fried Chicken: Every Southern Girl’s Favorite Food

For my Oven Fried Chicken, brining the chicken pieces makes the end result extra juicy; then, when you bake it in the oven, expect a crusty coating that’ll make you reach for thirds. Looking for spirits to drink with it? My summers in the Blue Ridge Mountains got me excited about wine—asking around and doing a little taste testing, yielded the answer I was looking for: a hearty young Argentine red (click here for best reds between $10 and $20 a bottle) is the way to go when you’re looking for the perfect pairing with fried chicken.

Collard Greens EXTREME--There’s nothing quite as flavorful as Slow Simmered Collard Greens. My gal pal, Cindy, makes the world’s BEST collard greens. Her secret is the addition of Balsamic vinegar—hopefully, Cindy won’t mind this, but I found a way to kick up the dish even more: by adding kielbasa! Just slice the sausage into thin rounds, and brown it in a little olive oil. Toss in the chopped collard greens and stir, adding chicken broth and water until it all comes to a slow boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for at least 1 hour, and up to several hours adding liquid as needed. Remember that younger collard greens cook more quickly than older ones. If you are using purchased chicken broth, be sure to use a low sodium product for this dish. Kielbasa is plenty salty on its own!

What’s for Dessert, Darlin’?

This traditional recipe is a winner on every dessert table; I feel so strongly about that, my Southern Pecan Pie has already been featured on my entertaining blog as a must have Thanksgiving treat. But it’s great for a Derby party too, and begs for a little Southern comfort…I mean, experimentation! Try substituting black walnuts for pecans and Bourbon for rum. Yumm!! And take even more Southern comfort in the fact that you can use prepared pie dough for this recipe; no one will notice—especially if you add ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips to the filling, for a chocolate-pecan pie.

Enjoy your taste of the Derby…whether it’s from your living room, or under the twin spires and a deep blue Kentucky sky, it’s all GOOD!

Slow Simmered Collard Greens

Servings: 6 to 8
Preparation Time: 20 minutes plus 2 hours simmering

2 bunches collard greens
1 tablespoon olive oil
12 ounces bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
½ cup Balsamic vinegar
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Remove the tough center stem from the center of the collard leaves. Wash and dry the leaves. Place several leaves on top of each other. Roll up several leaves into a cylinder. Cut into ½-inch thick strips. Repeat until all of the leaves are sliced.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until just beginning to crisp, about 5 minutes.

Add the collard to the skillet. Toss with the bacon.
Stir in the Balsamic vinegar. Pour in the chicken broth and the water. Press down the leaves until all are covered with liquid.

Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pan, and simmer the collards in the liquid until quite soft, about 2 to 3 hours. The liquid will evaporate as the collards cook.

Season with salt and pepper.

Baked Potatoes with Mushrooms and Fontina Cheese

Servings: 8
Preparation Time: 30 minutes plus roasting and baking

4 large baking potatoes

½ cup butter (1 stick)
2 pounds button mushrooms, sliced (about 4 cups)
4 green onions, thinly sliced (about ¼ cup)
½ (8-ounce) package cream cheese
½ cup sour cream
1 ½ cups Fontina cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons fresh garlic chives, chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Scrub the potatoes and pierce each on with the tines of a fork. Place onto the rack in the oven and cook until soft, about 45 minutes.

Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms. Cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the green onion. Cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

Remove the cooked potatoes from the oven. Cut the hot potatoes in half. Scoop out the potato leaving ¼ inch shell.

Place the potato in the bowl of an electric mixer. Stir in the cream cheese, sour cream and the remaining 6 tablespoons butter. Season with salt and pepper.

Mix in the mushrooms and ¾ cup cheese. Fill the potato jackets with the potato and mushroom mixture and place onto a baking sheet.

Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and fresh garlic chives. Bake until the cheese melts about 30 minutes.

Baby Rosemary Baked Potatoes

Servings: 12
Preparation Time: 10 minutes plus baking

12 to 18 small red potatoes, about 3-inches in diameter

¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons course salt
1 bunch fresh rosemary

Butter
Sour cream
Fresh chives

Heat the oven to 375 degrees

Rub each potato with olive oil and sprinkle generously with coarse salt.

Place the potatoes into a large, shallow baking dish.

Place rosemary springs on top of and around the potatoes.

Roast until just soft, about 30 minutes. Remove rosemary sprigs before serving.

Arranged Salmon Salad with Chinese Five Spice Vinaigrette

When you are asked to bring a dish for a pot luck supper, or to drop off a dish for a neighbor or friend in need, think beyond the casserole. An arranged salad offers flexibility, allowing diners to pick and choose from a platter filled with an abundant supply of veggies, fish and hard boiled eggs. A sprinkling of fresh herbs and spicy vinaigrette create a hyper flavor experience everyone will enjoy.

Serves: 6 to 8
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes to roast potatoes and about 10 minutes for salmon

1 ½ pounds (1 ½ -inch long) fingerling potatoes, about 15
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus ¼ cup for vinaigrette
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
½ pound medium fresh asparagus spears, about 16
1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed, about 16
1 medium lemon juiced, about 3 tablespoons
1 large shallot, peeled and sliced, about 2 tablespoons
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon Miso paste
1 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice
1 (1-pound) salmon fillet
4 large eggs, hard boiled, peeled and cut into quarters
2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
2 tablespoons chopped fresh watercress

Heat the oven to 400°. Place the potatoes onto a baking sheet with lip. Toss with salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Roast until the potatoes are soft and golden, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Bring a pot of water to boil over high heat. Blanch the asparagus spears in the water until crisp tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. Place the Brussels spouts into the boiling water and blanch until soft, about 10 minutes. Transfer to an ice water bath.

Place the lemon juice, shallot, mustard, honey, miso and Chinese Five spice into a blender. With the machine running, pour in ¼ cup olive oil.
Place the salmon onto a baking sheet coated with vegetable oil spray. Brush 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette over the fish. Roast until the fish remains rare in the center, about 8 minutes per inch of thickness.

Assemble the salad by placing the salmon in the center of a large platter. Arrange the potatoes, asparagus and Brussels sprouts around the salmon. Place hard boiled egg slices and tomato wedges alongside. Sprinkle with watercress and additional coarse black pepper. Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over the top.

Home Made Potato Chips with Caramelized Onion Dip

Chips and onion dip – a perfect snack combo that you can enjoy without guilt. No ripping open the chip bag or tearing at that little blue envelope. This home made version contains real ingredients, just what you need when the snack munchies come a knockin’.

For chips:
2 large russet potatoes
Canola oil for frying
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence
½ teaspoon coarse ground pepper

For dip:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon coarse ground pepper
1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
1 (4-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
½ cup sour cream
½ cup mayonnaise


Use a mandoline to cut the potatoes into very thin slices. Transfer the slices into a bowl of cold water.

Combine the seat salt, paprika and herbs de Provence in a small bowl. Set aside.

Remove the slices from the water to paper towels and pat dry completely.

Preheat the oven to 150°. Pour canola oil, about 1-inch deep into the bottom of a deep skillet over high heat. When the oil is very hot, place some of the potato slices into the skillet. Do not crowd the pan. Cook until golden on one side. Turn and cook on the other side, about 1 minute total. If the oil is too hot, turn the temperature down to medium high.

Transfer the potato slices to a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Sprinkle the seasoning over the chips. Place the baking sheet into the oven for 10 to 15 minutes. The chips will dry out and crisp up. Place the chips into an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Melt the butter and olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook until golden, about 5 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in the Balsamic vinegar. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the sliced onion is quite brown and syrupy. Cool to room temperature.

Place the cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add the caramelized onion and pulse for a few seconds more. Add more seasoning if needed. Pour the dip into a bowl and serve.

Serves a crowd
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes to cook all of the chips and 15 more for the onion