"C" is for Cucumbers

The feature ingredient for week 3 is cucumbers…not chickpeas.  L LOL  Just kidding, I’m cool with cucumbers.  Cucumbers are long, cylindrical shaped fruits and belong to the gourd family.   They have edible seeds and skin (if it’s not coated in wax) and the flesh is sweet and crisp.  There are many varieties of cucumbers cultivated for different purposes such as pickling and slicing.  Smaller kirby cucumbers are a popular variety of cucumbers that are pickled, whereas English or hothouse cucumbers, the most expensive cucumbers, are good for slicing.  English cucumbers have a much thinner skin than many other varieties, and they’re also said to be seedless because they’re cultivated to have very few if any seeds at all.  Cucumbers are available year round, but are at their peak between May and August.

The Humble Cucumber

One great thing about cucumbers is that on just about every diet plan I know of (ones that allow you to eat fruits and veggies), cucumbers are considered to be a “free food” right up there with lettuce.  Cucumbers have a high water content which can help make you feel full, and has very few calories.  They’re also high in Vitamin K, have a good amount of Vitamin C and have powerful antioxidants.

This week I hope to show you that there’s a lot more that we can do with cucumbers than just tossing them into a regular, old iceberg lettuce and tomato salad.  Yes, I definitely will make a salad out of these guys, but hopefully, it’ll be a salad that’s a bit of a departure from the norm.  I'm hoping to elevate this humble ingredient.  Be sure to pop in later this week to see what I’ve come up with.

The Beet Can't Be Beat

Finally, my last beet dish is ready, and it did not come without a price and a great sacrifice.  And to that end, I must take a moment to say a few words about a good friend:

It is with a heavy heart that I bid farewell to a close friend I've had for almost six years. We've been through the good, the bad, and the nasty together. But, last night proved to be too much for him and he died on me. I'm sure that it was just your time, but I can't help but feel that your demise is partially my fault because of all of the stress I put on you. Fare thee well, my good Black and Decker 12 Speed Cyclone Blender. Even though I have other blenders, they will never take your place.  Thank you for tackling the frozen beets I threw at you last night.  What you were able to do helped me make a very beautiful and tasty beet sorbet.  When I had to pull out another blender to finish the job that you could not, know that my heart wrenched each time I hit the pulse button.  Thank you for your years of faithful service.  It doesn’t matter how many other blenders are awaiting me in the future.  Know that whenever I hit the pulse button, I’ll always be thinking of you. 

Remnants of my cyclone blender.  Gone, but never forgotten.

All joking aside, I really did love that blender. It made the most pathetic sound trying to handle those frozen beets.  (I roasted all of the beets, but froze two of them hoping to puree them into a smoothie like consistency.) I used an immersion blender to finish the job.  I didn't want to risk putting those beets in my other, regular blender.  Below is a pic of the beet sorbet.  Actually, it’s more of a sorbet/granita.  I don’t have an ice cream maker anymore, so I flaked the ice crystals with a fork throughout the freezing process, then smoothed it out when I added the last batch of juice to it.  So you kind of get the best of both worlds. It’s silky on the tongue, but has some sweet, icy, crystals as well.  I absolutely love it!

Beet Sorbet/Granita

For those who may be a bit anti-beet, I think trying it in a frozen dessert would be a great way to try it.  The flavor is unmistakably of beets, but it’s mellowed out but the other ingredients used to compliment them. To the frozen beets, I added sugar-free pomegranate flavored sparkling water, low sugar orange juice, orange zest, apple sauce, light apple juice, fresh mint, salt and black pepper.  There’s only two words that I can think of that describe this dessert: astonishingly refreshing.  I will DEFINITELY make this again in the spring or summer.

So, that’s all she wrote for beets this go round!   On to “C!”

The Beet Goes On: Beet Pix and Recipes

It seems like it was just yesterday that I pulled beets out of the ingredient hat.  I sit here just minutes away from a new day, hoping that I pull out an ingredient that I really want to work with.  Next, is “C” week.  I’ll go ahead and say what I hope it is:  chickpeas.  I have my fingers crossed that I pull out chickpeas!  But, we’ll find out what next week’s feature ingredient will be soon enough.  Thanks for all of the suggestions you’ve submitted! I’m rambling about next week, when I still have to finish up beet week.  So, without further ado…

Sautéed Golden Beet Greens with Virginia Ham

These greens are full of flavor, not guilt.

1 large pot of well salted boiling water

1 colander full of cleaned golden beet greens

1 TBSP olive oil

2 whole garlic cloves

1 TBSP dried, minced onion

6 pieces of thinly sliced Virginia ham lunch meat, cut into ribbons (Use the low fat variety if you can.  Six slices should equal 1 serving for around 50 calories)

1 pinch of garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the greens in the salted water for five minutes or until tender.  Drain greens in a colander.  While greens are draining, heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  When the oil is hot, add the garlic and sauté until browned on all sides.  Discard the garlic, turn the burner off, stand back, (the greens will pop and splatter in the oil) and add the greens to the pan.  Turn the heat back up to medium-high and sauté the greens in the oil for two minutes, stirring constantly.  Stir in the ham, onions, garlic, and salt and pepper.  Cook for two minutes on low heat and serve.

Side note: Guys, I know a “colander full” is not a true measurement; I’m guessing that I had probably between 8-10 cups of golden beet greens.  I was only able to find organic golden beets this week, so after I’d gotten them cleaned I was too tired to measure how much I had.  To those of you who have had similar experiences with organic food, you understand what I mean.  But, I’m sure to many that may sound like a strange statement to make. So, I’ll explain.  I’m not against organic food, organic producers, or any farm-to-market program; I think it’s all great.  What I am against is all of the hardcore cleaning I have to do whenever I purchase organically grown vegetables.  It’s like “organic” is code for “be ready to scrub theses vegetables like you’re trying to scrub away sins.”  Organically grown veggies that I come across ALWAYS have an excessive amount of dirt and sand in comparison to nonorganic produce.  Let me say this again:  I’m not against the organic/farm-to-market food movement.  I just wish they’d leave the bit of the farm that’s not edible at the farm, and only bring the veggies to the market. I can’t tell you how many hours I spent soaking and scrubbing those golden beets and the greens.  But, they were beautiful and they tasted great.  So, I’ll shut up now, get off of my soapbox, and get this train back on track!

Caprese Salad is delicious!  Who can resist the combination of beautifully plump, vine ripened tomatoes, creamy, salty mozzarella, and sweet basil all sprinkled with salt and pepper and drizzled with fruity, extra virgin olive oil?  I decided to put a twist on the Caprese and used both garnet and golden beets instead of tomatoes.  And in addition to the olive oil, I made a balsamic reduction infused with rosemary and garlic, and drizzled that on top of my Caprese as well.  Here's a pic:

  Earthy, creamy, sweet and tangy goodness!

How I love the combination of beets and blue cheese together.  I paired rich, roasted garnet beets with herb roasted fingerling potatoes.  The fingerlings were sliced in half to expose their golden flesh, and then drizzled with a generous amount of warm, mountain gorgonzola sauce.  A touch of nutty pea shoots were added for crunch.  

Roasted Beet Salad with Warm Fingerling Potatoes and Gorgonzola Sauce 

The potatoes

Preheat oven to 350°

1 pound of washed fingerling potatoes

1 TBSP olive oil                  

1 stripped stalk of fresh rosemary

1 tsp dried dill

1 large pinch of garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

On a foil-lined baking sheet, mix all of the above ingredients with you hands until the fingerlings are well coated.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the potato skins are golden, and the insides are cooked through.  When done, remove from the baking sheet (leave the foil in the pan) to cool slightly.  Slice the fingerlings in half lengthwise and arrange on a plate.

The beets

12 ounces of peeled and cubed roasted beets

Salt and pepper to taste

Note: beets were roasted whole, early in the day on a dry baking sheet at 375 ° until fork tender, about 45-60 minutes.

Toss the beets in the remaining oil and herbs left on the baking sheet the potatoes cooked on.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and arrange on a plate.

The sauce

½ cup of fat free sour cream

1 ounce mountain gorgonzola

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a microwave safe bowl, microwave the sour cream for 30 seconds. Stir, and microwave for 20 seconds.  Stir in the gorgonzola and microwave for an additional 20 seconds.  Stir until the gorgonzola melts into the sour cream.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  May be served hot, warm, or cold.  Spoon over potatoes and beets.

Garnish:                                                                     

1 small bunch of washed pea shoots  

1 scallion, chopped.

Arrange the pea shoots on the plate.   Sprinkle the scallion on top of the sauce. 

Note:  I didn't have any left in my pantry, but toasted walnuts would be a wonderful addition here as well.

My last beet dish isn’t finished yet, unfortunately. It’s my beet sorbet, and it’s still freezing.  So, I’ll take a pic of it and post about it tomorrow before announcing the next feature ingredient.  Please, let it be chickpeas! Later, guys!

Not Beeting Around the Bush!

Hi, guys!  I hope everyone's had a great week so far.  Mine has been hectic but I'm hanging in there.  I know it seems like I’ve been beeting around the bush (See what I did there? LOL) with posting pics and recipes for this week's featured ingredient, beets. But, unfortunately, I've been getting in pretty late all week and haven't had the chance to do any cooking or post anything. 

Tonight, I got in a little earlier and am finally getting a chance to cook.  As we speak, I have a pot of boiling water on the stove for some beet greens.  I’ve got those oh so famously beautiful garnet beets roasting away in the oven. And, I have an assembly line of ingredients that I’m prepping for tomorrow and Saturday.  Here’s a pic of a little, two bite beet treat that I made tonight:  Beets Napoleon. 

This appetizer was made using canned beets.  Beets are one of the very few foods I don’t mind eating if canned.  I’ll share what’s between the layers tomorrow.  I guess I’d better beet it (Hehehe, I did it again!) and head on back to the kitchen.  Later, dudes!

"B" is for Beets

Week #2. This week's feature ingredient is beets.  Like last week's featured ingredient, arugula, beets are high in iron and a host of other nutrients, most notably folic acid.  Folic acid is said to help reduce birth defects and some forms of cancer, and aids in heart health. This root vegetable has leafy, green tops which are edible and highly nutritious.  Beets come in a variety of colors ranging from white to its trademark color, garnet red.  I think the most beautifully colored beet is the candy cane beet.  Like its name suggests, it's both red and white.  Here is a pic of the garnet red beets, the beets that most people are familiar with:

Although I was hoping to get brussel sprouts, it is my favorite veggie after all,  I'm happy with beets.   I love beets.  As a child, the way I described the flavor of them was, "They taste great! Mmmm...tastes like dirt."  As an adult, I say they taste earthy and sweet.  I've never eaten beet tops before though, so that'll be an experience I'm looking forward to.  I know I can get these garnet beets in the store.  I've also seen golden beets in stock recently.  Hopefully, I'll be able to get my hands on some of those.

I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do with beets.  I have a couple of fun ideas...the sweetness of beets is making me want to make a sorbet.  Hmm, we'll see.  Be sure to check in through the week to see what I come up with.

Pix of Dishes Made with Arugula

It’s time to share that open-faced arugula sandwich recipe with you guys.  It’s a quick fix recipe, and depending upon your appetite it makes for a delicious light dinner or snack.  The bread I used for this sandwich is tandoori naan.  A little background info on what tandoori and naan is:  a tandoor is a clay and brick oven often found in Indian restaurants.  Food is cooked with direct heat at temperatures over 500° and gets great flavor from a smoky fire.  Naan is an East Indian flatbread baked directly on the clay walls of a tandoor until it’s puffy, light brown, and delicious. It’s usually served warm.  Meat cooked in a tandoor is called tandoori-style, and usually has a reddish-orange tint to it from the spices rubbed on the meat.  So, my (no, I didn’t make it) tandoori naan has some of the wonderful spices commonly found on tandoori meats:  curry, cumin, fennel, and fenugreek to name a few.  It’s sweet, smoky, slightly garlicky, and has a kick of heat.  I like to warm my naan over an open flame because it allows the oils in the spice mixture on the naan to really come to life.  It also creates an interesting texture combination: it becomes both slightly crisp and chewy.  I’m sure this will offend some of the foodie die-hards, but I also eat my naan straight out of the bag without heating it.  It’s delish!

Anyhoo, here’s a pic and the recipe: 

Open-faced arugula sandwich 

1 piece of tandoori naan

1 large shallot, thinly sliced

5 baby portabella mushrooms, sliced

3/4 cup arugula

Pinch of rosemary

Pinch of thyme

Pinch of garlic

2 tsp sherry

1 TBSP water

1 tsp canola or corn oil

1 tsp toffee sunflower seeds

Serves one to two people

The mushrooms and shallot:

Heat a nonstick frying pan over high heat.  When hot, add ½ tsp of oil.  Add shallot and reduce heat to medium.  Stir constantly to keep from sticking. When shallot is soft, transfer to a plate and add the mushrooms to the pan.  Reduce heat to low and cook for about five minutes, or until the edges of the mushrooms start to turn brown.  Stir and add the shallot, rosemary, and thyme to the pan.  Add a pinch of garlic and salt and pepper to taste.  Add sherry and water, and be sure to scrape up any bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.  Turn off heat. 

The bread: 

DO NOT WALK AWAY FROM IT WHILE IT’S COOKING BECAUSE IT CAN CATCH FIRE! 

With the flame on low, place the naan directly on the flame.  Using heat-safe metal tongs, reposition the naan as necessary until it’s lightly toasted the entire length of the bread on both sides. Allow to cool for 1 minute.  Slice into four pieces and reassemble it on a plate.

Note:  If you’re not comfortable cooking directly over an open flame, you can either heat your naan in the microwave for 20 seconds or warm it in a 350° oven for 5 minutes.

The arugula:

In a bowl, use your hands to gently toss the arugula with the other ½ tsp of the oil.  Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Putting the sandwich together:

Place the arugula on top of the length of the warm naan.  Place the mushrooms and shallots down the middle of the arugula.  Sprinkle toffee sunflower seeds across the top of the sandwich.

This sandwich is peppery, sweet, spicy, chewy, crisp, and there’s even a little crunch from the sunflower seed in there for good measure.  You can eat this with a fork and knife or pick up each quarter with you hands and fold it over like a mini sandwich…I bet you can guess which method I prefer.  Yeah, the mini sammy. J

Here are pix of some other dishes I made with arugula today:

          Baby heirloom tomatoes and lamb’s lettuce with dots of arugula dressing.  

 Don’t be fooled by what may seem like a lack of presence from the arugula.  This salad is bursting with arugula flavor.  I puréed arugula with shallots, garlic, meyer lemon juice, parmigiano-reggiano, basil, and mint to make a very bold dressing. 

                               Here is a pic of an arugula and apple salad. 

The sweet and tangy dressing had only a teaspoon of oil in it, yet had a wonderful viscosity; it complimented the peppery arugula wonderfully well.  I made a dressing out of apricot preserves, fig balsamic, champagne vinegar, Dijon, and a touch of olive oil.  (The amount of dressing made serves four people.)  I used a jazz apple for its firm, flavorful flesh, and a gala apple for its sweetness. Strips of dried apricots and sundried tomatoes were added for flavor intensity and chew, while toffee sunflower seeds were added for another dimension of sweetness and crunch. 

I was still a bit out of it today, but I managed to have some fun with the arugula I got this morning.  If only I’d been able to get my hands on more arugula earlier in the week, I’m sure I could have done a lot more.  Again, arugula normally is a really easy green to get my hands on.  It’s readily available in just about all of the grocery stores around the country.  So, don’t be discouraged to try it just because I had a hard time finding it this week.  That was EXTREMELY unusual.  I’ve never had a problem finding it in the past.  So, please have some fun with arugula.  Your taste buds will thank you for it.

I had a nice time with you, arugula.  But, tomorrow starts a brand new week which means it’s time for a new feature ingredient.  It’s the week of the “B” ingredient to be exact.  Thanks for all of the suggestions, you guys!  A few of you submitted brussel sprouts, and I so hope I’ll pull that out of the hat tomorrow.  It is my favorite vegetable after all.  LOL I have my fingers crossed.  We’ll find out tomorrow. Nite-nite, everyone!

Arugula: The Comeback Green

As I suspected I might, I came up empty-handed on my search for arugula last night.  But, I’d already rationed the arugula I had in the event I couldn’t get more, so I was ready to cook. I was supposed to share an opened-face arugula sandwich recipe yesterday.  But, unfortunately, I was too busy writhing around in pain on my living room floor to do so.  I have no idea what happened exactly.  After a very long day of work and an unproductive shopping trip, I was trying to relax before hitting the kitchen.  I was watching one of my all-time favorite shows, Fraiser, and the next thing I knew I was on the floor almost screaming from sudden, excruciating pain in my lower abdomen and the top of my right leg.  It then radiated to almost my entire leg.  It seemed to last for hours, but in reality, it was only about 20 minutes.  It really took the wind out of my sails though, and my night was finished.  I can’t say what it was like in comparison to childbirth since I’ve never experienced it.  But, it was most definitely THE MOST excruciating pain I’d ever felt in my life.  Major thanks to my folks for coming to my rescue!  I still feel some pain, but it’s bearable now. 

Today is the last day for my feature ingredient, arugula.  After a shortage of product all week, and then not being able to cook anything last night, I know I have some major ground to make up.  So, this morning I got up and managed to hobble around my favorite grocery store. I got there a few minutes after they'd opened, and guess what? NO BLACK HOLE!  I FOUND ARUGULA!  I could almost see rays of light beaming down on it from heaven, and I almost sang along with the choir I imagined hearing, singing thankfully for its presence.  I’m glad I didn’t sing along with my imaginary choir because although it was early, there were plenty of shoppers who’d have thought I was nuts!  I didn’t find any wasabi arugula.  Bummer.  Shoppers who got in the store before me did snag several bags of regular arugula.  But, they were nice enough to leave some for me. Arugula is truly the comeback green! 

So, to the kitchen I go!  I’ve got some cooking to do!  I’ll post that opened-face sandwich recipe later, and share pix of anything else I come up with!

The Little Bag of Arugula That Could

Allow me to introduce you to the black hole.  What is the black hole you ask?  It has nothing to do with the fans of a certain football team.  Oh, no.  The black hole is what I continue to stumble upon in my local grocery stores.  The black hole is the empty space in the produce section between the spinach and romaine, or the macha and the endive, or even the spring mix and the European blend.  The black hole is the empty space on the shelf where arugula is SUPPOSED to be.  After stumbling across this new phenomenon again, on the fifth straight day at multiple stores, I had to take a pic of it.  Look:

Hey, Kansas City, what’s up with the arugula shortage?  I’ve asked the stockers at the stores, and they’ve been friendly and sympathetic, but clueless as to what’s going on.  So, I guess people are just trying a different green to mix in with their salads while on their New Year’s weight loss kicks.  If that’s the case, best of luck to ya!  So, although I drove far and wide as promised, I unfortunately did not come home with four large bags of arugula.  I ran into the black hole over and over again.  I found one bag hiding behind a bag of herb mix, but it’s the same size as what I found on my last trip. 

Since it’s very likely that I may come up empty-handed tomorrow and Saturday on my arugula hunt, I’ve decided to ration out the two rinky sized bags of arugula I have left.  Tomorrow, I’m going to share a recipe for an open faced arugula sandwich on naan. I’m only going to use half a cup of arugula in that dish since I have to use it sparingly.  The naan will be a great vehicle for the arugula.  Tonight, as promised, I remade that cooked down arugula from yesterday.  I used all of one of my small bags for that; I like to call it the little bag of arugula that could.   It's not the prettiest dish in the world, but it sure is tasty.  Below is a pic of what it looked like:

Here's the recipe:

Note:  When I originally made this, I added the chicken as an afterthought.  I’d seared the chicken earlier in the week so I could toss it into salads.  I only put salt, pepper, and garlic on it, and cooked it in a dry nonstick pan on low heat.  It took about 15 minutes to finish because of how low the flame was.  The chicken had a nice crust on the outside and was moist and juicy on the inside.

Smothered Arugula, Mango, and Chicken

Serves 2 as a side, one as an entree.

1 7 ounce bag of arugula

1 tsp canola or corn oil

10 pumps of non caloric margarine spray

2 TBSP chopped dried mango

1 TBSP mascarpone

1 skinless pan seared chicken breast tenderloin cut into chunks

Pinch of garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

Place a large, nonstick frying pan on medium-high heat.  When the pan is hot, add the oil and swirl the pan.  When the oil starts to pop, add half of the arugula to the pan (all if it will fit).  With a wooden spoon, toss the arugula in the oil to help wilt the greens.  Add the remaining arugula, spritz with margarine spray, and stir to coat.  Reduce heat to low, cover and allow to cook for 3 minutes.  Stir in dried mango, cover, and cook until arugula stems are tender, about another 5-10 minutes.  Season arugula with a pinch of garlic and salt and pepper to taste.  Place mascarpone on top of arugula, add the chicken to the pan, and cover for a minute.  Stir in the melted mascarpone and serve.

I hope you’ll give this a try.  If you do, let me know what you think!  I’m off to bed.  I need my rest in the event I have to wrestle someone out of a bag of arugula tomorrow.  Just kidding.  J  If you have any suggestions for ingredients that start with “B” please send them my way.  Week two will be here before you know it.  See you tomorrow!

Me and My Big Mouth: “A” is for Arugula and Annoyed (slightly) LOL

I’m so excited to be able to introduce people to an ingredient that they’ve never heard of before.  When I picked it, I almost wanted to cheat and pick another because I thought folks might say it’s too easy, too common of an ingredient.  But, it looks like I was wrong.  I’ve had some tell me they’ve never heard of it.  There are others who’ve heard of it, but have never tried it.  I’ve even had a few people tell me they thought arugula was cheese.  How cute is that?!  If you’re unfamiliar with it, I hope you’ll give it a try if you can get your hands on it.  Outside of it being a good, healthy ingredient, it’s got great flavor.  For those of you who are already arugula fans, I hope I’ll be able to share a preparation of it that you haven’t tried before.

You might remember on January 1^st that I said how “readily available arugula is in grocery stores?”  Well, it’s day #4 into this week of featuring arugula, and for some reason all of the arugula has mysteriously gone MIA in my local stores. Since Sunday, I’ve only found two little bags of it!  I can usually find arugula just about anywhere at any time.  There’s normally multiple brands to choose from, and can be bought living, bagged, or in bulk.  But, for the past few days EVERY store I’ve walked into, the sign is there but, there’s no arugula to be found.  Even the wasabi arugula’s gone, and there’s always plenty of that.  I had my heart set on sharing a recipe combining regular and wasabi arugulas in a dish together.  The regular arugula’s, peppery and bitter while the wasabi arugula has a nice spiciness to it; it’s a tasty combo. 

If I were the cocky type, I’d say that the reason I can’t find arugula is because my blog is so popular here in Kansas City that everyone ran to the stores and swooped all of the arugula up in anticipation of trying out a recipe I’m to post this week.  But, I know that’s not the case. LOL  People are probably just snatching up any salad greens they can get their hands on  because so many folks have made that oh so popular New Year’s Resolution #1: lose weight.  However, I must say that every other green seems to be on the shelves.  It’s just my arugula that’s missing without a trace.  I’d even considered buying a last, lonely bag of mesclun mix and picking out the arugula.  But, this particular brand was extremely heavy on the frisee.  I love frisee, but it’s all about arugula this week.

So, I’m a bit annoyed that I can’t find my arugula.  I am thankful for the two little bags of arugula I did manage to get.  I struck gold in the flavor department by cooking it down and adding mascarpone, dried mango, and sautéed chicken.  Unfortunately, like all greens, it cooked down so much that there wasn’t really anything to photograph.  But, it was DELISH!  Tomorrow, I WILL travel far and wide, and I’m not coming home until I have at least four large bags of my featured ingredient.  I’ll redo the aforementioned recipe, post a pic, and get to cooking and posting some other dishes as well.  See you tomorrow!

"A" is for Arugula

Arugula is a peppery and somewhat bitter salad green that’s very popular with Italians.  The British call it rocket because of its peppery bite. But, its bitter note tends to be a bit much for the American palate. I happen to love it.  It’s high in iron and vitamins A and C.  Arugula is readily available in grocery stores as a stand alone green, but is commonly found in mesclun mixes.  For those who  don’t know, this is what arugula looks like:

So, this is my “A” ingredient for week one!  Yes, arugula is a salad green, and I do plan on coming up with a salad featuring it.  But, I’m also going to play around with it and come up with some other ways of serving it.  Be sure to check back throughout the week to see what I come up with.