Wild Rice and Lentil Salad with Oranges, Dried Fruit, and Chevre

So, this is the salad recipe that I was referring to in my previous post :).


When I was asked to make a salad for the dinner party the other evening at Mikey's parents' home, I just couldn't bring myself to bring an average lettuce-and-veggie-packed salad. I like to do things a little differently than one would expect, and I like to see the surprise in peoples' faces when they see what I have made. I love lentils and found this recipe while browsing for ideas and inspiration and it sounded perfect!


It is really refreshing and absolutely perfect for eating outside in the summer air. The orange adds a juicy sweetness that complements the chewy, earthy rice/lentils and creamy goat cheese wonderfully. I also particularly liked that the currants and raisins were pretty much the same size as the lentils so they surprised your taste buds with a fruity punch. I really enjoyed all of the different textures and all of the guests mentioned how delicious and unique it was!


This recipe makes quite a bit, but I don't think that would cause much disappointment as it holds up great as leftovers (that is if any is even left to take home).

Wild Rice and Lentil Salad with Oranges, Dried Fruit, and Chevre

recipe adapted from here

ingredients:

• 2 cups wild and brown rice blend
• 1 cup French green lentils
• 1/2 shallot, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 3-4 oranges (depending on how many you want; I like a lot)
• 1/4 cup dried currants
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• creamy Chevre

1. Cook the rice and lentils according to the package directions (I used a rice cooker for the rice). Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine the shallot, vinegar, and lemon juice. Zest one orange and add it to the mix, set aside.
3. Cut away the pith and peel from the oranges and cut the sections free from the membrane.
4. Toss together the rice, lentils, shallot mixture, orange sections, dried currants, raisins, oil, and parsley (I also squeezed the remaining juice left in the orange membranes into the mix). Add salt and pepper to taste. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve (can be made a day in advance) or serve warm. Top with Chevre to taste.

p.s.- How do you guys like having the top image be a bit bigger? Better? Worse? Can't tell?

Braised Short Ribs over Creamy Goat Cheese Polenta

This is the last of the recipes that I have to share with you from my time spent with my family in Florida, and though the pictures are the worst, I think it may just be the tastiest. It's a super comforting dish that really just sticks to your bones.


Though the recipe itself is fairly straightforward and easy, finding the short ribs was an absolute nightmare. Apparently no one in Sarasota, Florida eats short ribs or something... it was extremely bizarre. I had to go to 3 different grocery stores and a butcher's shop to find them! I was flabbergasted when my family's tried and true neighborhood butcher responded to my bone-in short rib request with "Aren't those kind of rare?" WHAT? Are you, the extremely qualified butcher, asking me if this cut of meat is sparse in the meat-world??? Well, I certainly didn't think so considering they seem to be a staple on every restaurant's menu, but clearly I was sorely mistaken. I was told by the butcher in the next store that "All the snow birds went home so we don't really have them anymore." Excuse me? Do only northerners consume short ribs? All in all, I found the experience both frustrating and peculiar. I finally ended up locating some short ribs with the help of a phone call from one butcher to another, and I ended up buying out there entire stock (which was not very much... like 16 short ribs).


Anyways, despite the issues finding the main ingredient, this recipe was fantastic and completely worth all of the effort. The meat literally falls off of the bone and there is no need for a knife. The polenta is so good (and easy!) that I will be making it time and time again. I loved the slight tang that the goat cheese imparts. The best thing ever though is the fact that the creamy polenta soaks up all of the juicy cooking sauce from the meat- major yum!

Braised Short Ribs over Creamy Goat Cheese Polenta

recipe from here

serves 4

ingredients:

short ribs:

• 8 bone-in beef short ribs
• sea salt & freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 slices pancetta, diced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 shallots, minced
• 3 carrots, diced
• 2 cups dry red wine (I used a Cabernet Sauvignon)
• 2 cups beef stock
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary

polenta:

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal (I used Bob's Redmill)
• pinch of sea salt
• 2 tbsp butter
• 4 ounces goat cheese (not the crumbled kind!)

for the short ribs:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Salt and pepper the ribs, and then dredge them in flour, shaking off any excess. Set aside.
3. In a large dutch oven, cook the pancetta over medium-high heat until all fat is rendered and the pancetta is really crisp. Remove the pancetta pieces from the pot and set aside (don't discard!), leaving the rendered fat in the pot.
4. Raise the heat to high and add the olive oil to the pot with the pancetta grease. Brown the ribs on all sides (you'l know they are browned when they are easily able to be lifted from the bottom of the pot). Set ribs aside.
5. Lower the heat to medium and add in the onions, shallots, and carrots. Cook for 2-3 minutes and then pour in the wine, being sure to scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil and cook for about 2 minutes.
6. Add the beef stock, a pinch of freshly ground pepper , and the stock to the pot. Add in the ribs (they should be mostly submerged), and the sprigs of thyme and rosemary (yes, leave them whole). Put on the lid.
7. Cook in the oven for 2 hours, then reduce the temperature to 325 and cook for an additional 30-45 minutes. Remove pot from the oven and allow to sit for about 20 minutes with the lis still on before serving. Right before you serve, skim the fat off of the top of the liquid. Serve over Creamy Goat Cheese Polenta (recipe below) with cooking juices spooned over top.

for the polenta:

1. Bring 4 1/2 cups of water to a boil.
2. Add in the cornmeal in a thin stream, whisking constantly to avoid any clumps.
3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes, adding salt and tablespoons of water as necessary.
4. When the polenta is done, stir in the butter and goat cheese. Serve with Braised Short Ribs (or anything else because it's so darn good!).

Grilled Peaches with Prosciutto and Goat Cheese

I apologize for the lack of posts recently, but I went to Florida for a few weeks to visit my family and friends :). Even though I didn't blog while I was away, I still was busy in the kitchen! I have a few great recipes (including this one) to share with you from my time spent at home. The one drawback to them though is that I didn't have my wonderful boyfriend with me with his super nice camera and thus, all of the food I made there was shot with my silly Canon point-and-shoot. I urge you to look past the mediocre pictures and still try the recipes as I feel they are some of the best I have ever made!


Grilling fruit is an amazing way to bring out its natural sweetness, and also a fun and new (to me at least!) way of utilizing your grill. Peaches are a juicy and delicious summer fruit and while they are quite tasty in crisps, pies, and other desserts, I absolutely love the idea of fruit in more savory applications.
These luscious bites are a perfect combination of sweet, salty, and tangy, and the basil picked from my mom's herb garden really throws them over-the-top. Add in the fact that these could not be easier to make (honestly, what will follow is not much of a "recipe" as much as it is a suggestion), you have a fresh and vibrant appetizer hat is great for grill-outs and summer gatherings!

Grilled Peaches with Prosciutto and Goat Cheese

the amounts of the ingredients are totally up to you

ingredients:

• ripe, but still fairly firm, peaches, pitted and quartered
• prosciutto di parma, thinly sliced (you basically want 1/2-1/3 a slice for each peach quarter)
• fresh basil
• goat cheese (spreadable, NOT crumbles)
• extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• baguette, sliced

1. Drizzle the baguette slices with a bit of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle on some salt and pepper. Place them under the broiler until toasted (or you can grill them if you have enough room on your grill unlike me :P).
2. Toss the peach quarters in some olive oil and pepper. Grill the peaches on each side for a few minutes until dark grill marks appear and the fruit easily lift from the grill.
3. To serve, arrange the peaches around the goat cheese on a platter (the brand I used was Chavrie; it came in a nifty cube-like container and was easy to remove). Drape each peach with 1/2 slice of prosciutto and top with a basil leaf. Serve with the toasted baguette. To actually eat it, you should spread some goat cheese on a piece of toast and top it with the peach/prosciutto/basil. It's a big bite, but SO amazing!

Spanish Varillas, or "Rods"- Tapas Night Part 2 of 3

As soon as I saw this recipe over on Kayotic Kitchen, I knew that it would make an awesome addition to my Tapas Date Night menu!
These little Spanish "rods" (as they are so lovingly called- "varillas"), are not only incredibly tasty, but truly unique! Have you ever seen anything like them? I know I haven't!
I switched up the recipe a bit. I used prosciutto di parma in place of serrano ham (jamón serrano) because Whole Foods didn't carry the latter. I would have really preferred the serrano though to keep with my Spanish theme. In case you aren't familiar, the difference between the two is that serrano ham has much less fat, and it is a bit drier.
I also used a goat's milk cream cheese as opposed to cow's milk. I was originally going to just substitute the cream cheese for goat cheese (which I still think would be great), but as soon as I saw the goat's milk cream cheese I was sold.

For my greens I chose baby arugula for the nice spicy bite it lends, but any green would do here- play around!
I thought these turned out incredible! They were super easy to make, but packed a ton of flavor. The tangy creaminess of the goat's milk cream cheese paired with the salty, chewy prosciutto and crisp bread stick is a combination so divine that I had to have 2! While that may not seem like a lot, these guys are over a foot long each!

Spanish Varillas, or "Rods"

recipe adapted from here

As you can see there are no exact amounts here. You can make as many or as few as you want. Everything is made to your own personal tastes!

ingredients:

• prosciutto di parma (or serrano ham), sliced very thin
• crispy bread sticks (you could get flavored ones if you want but I just stuck with the traditional)
• goat's milk cream cheese (I found this at Whole Foods)
• chives, diced
• sun-dried tomatoes (I only used one), minced
• pinch of fresh ground pepper
• pinch of sea salt
• baby arugula

1. Mix together the chives, pepper, sea salt, sun-dried tomato, and cream cheese in a small bowl.
2. Spread the cream cheese mixture over one side of a slice of prosciutto and add the arugula on top of that.
3. Carefully roll the prosciutto around a bread stick. Repeat for as many as your heart desires.
4. Serve with leftover cream cheese mixture to dip!

Moroccan Carrot and Goat Cheese Sandwich with Green Olive Tapenade

Spring is in the air! Out here in Seattle it's warming up (or rather trying to), the cherry blossoms are blooming, daffodils are sprouting up everywhere you look, and and in the past couple of weeks I think I've seen the sun more times than not. I'm getting excited!

In honor of the approaching spring, I decided to make a great picnic-y sandwich that is even better when enjoyed out in the warm(ish) rays of the sun.
I've been holding onto the recipe for quite a while; ever since I saw it on Love and Olive Oil I knew it was a sandwich for me. I'm happy to report that I was oh-so-right. This sandwich is certainly unique, with a flavor combo that is out-of-this-world! I love the way the sweet-yet-spicy kick of the carrots blends with the tangy, creamy goat cheese. Then, you get this wonderful saltiness imparted by the olive tapenade that really just brings everything over-the-top!
So, go grab a blanket, spread it on the lawn outside, and whip up a few of these sandwiches to share with a few good friends in the nice weather... or at least open a window or something :).

Moroccan Carrot and Goat Cheese Sandwiches with Green Olive Tapenade

recipe slightly adapted from here

I, of course, cheated and used some pre-made tapenade in my version as many reviewers said to do and I'm quite glad I saved myself the extra work. I am certain there was no flavor-loss (and hey, you have less to screw up, right?). I made up the entire batch of carrots and just kept the extras in a tupperware in the fridge to pull out and eat at my leisure.

ingredients:

• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 1/2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 to 1 1/2 lbs carrots, sliced
• green olive tapenade
• soft goat cheese
• pumpernickel bread

1. Whisk together the honey, lemon juice, spices, salt, and olive oil in a large bowl.
2. Cook the carrot slices in a pot of boiling, salted water for approximately 45 seconds, until crisp-tender. Drain well and then immediately toss with the dressing. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, then cover and pop in the fridge to marinate for at least 4 hours.
3. To assemble the sandwich(es), spread one slice of bread with tapenade, and smear the other slice with some goat cheese. Layer the carrot slices onto the goat cheese and put the two slices together. Enjoy!  Simple. Easy. Delicious.

Each sandwich is about 580 calories when you use 1/8 of the carrot mixture and 1 oz. each of the goat cheese and olive tapenade on two slices of pumpernickel bread.

Grilled Pear, Humboldt Fog, and Mint Panini

This year, Mikey got a panini press for Christmas and, to be honest, I think I was more excited about his gift than he was, ha ha. A few weeks ago, we tried it out for the first time and it was a overwhelmingly successful venture! I made Mikey a panini with grilled chicken, sharp cheddar, bacon, homemade chipotle mayonnaise, and spinach, served up with some creamy tomato soup. And for myself, a panini with dry coppa, arugula, and fontina cheese. I also had to sneak a tiny bowl of the tomato soup because man, this boxed stuff is incredible! It was Pacific Natural Foods Creamy Tomato and I seriously thought it was out-of-this-world good. It has this amazing subtle sweetness to it. I immediately went out and bought 3 more boxes of the stuff along with a box of nearly every variety they make. I might be a bit obsessive...
Anyways, the paninis were scrum-diddly-umptious and I basically couldn't wait to use the press again.
I found this wonderful blog called Panini Happy while looking for flavor combinations and came across a Grilled Peaches and Humboldt Fog Panini that sounded really tasty. Since peaches aren't in season at the moment, I decided to switch it up and use pears! The sandwich turned out SO good! The creaminess and pronounced taste of the Humboldt Fog paired with the sweet, grilled pears was simply delightful- another success for the panini maker!
I served my panini up with a handful of baby spinach dressed in a simple vinaigrette, and some creamy pumpkin soup. The recipe for the soup can be found here!

Grilled Pear, Humboldt Fog, and Mint Panini

recipe adapted from here

serves 1

ingredients:

• 1 large pear (I used Bosc), sliced into 1/2 inch slices
• 1 ounce Humboldt Fog goat cheese
• fresh mint
• 2 slices of bread (thicker works better, I just used what I had on hand which was Pain du George- a whole wheat bread)
• a small amount of butter

1. Preheat the panini grill to 375 degrees.
2. Place the pear slices on the grill and grill for around 2 minutes, until they are caramelized. Remove from the grill and set aside.
3. Butter one side of each of the bread slices with a bit of butter.
4. Layer the pear slices onto a slice of the bread (not the butter side) and top with some mint leaves and then the cheese. Top with the remaining slice of bread and press for around 3 to 4 minutes (make sure the butter sides of the bread are facing the panini press), or until the cheese is melted. Serve!

Roasted Strawberry Salad with Baked Goat Cheese

Closet Cooking has become one of my very favorite blogs to go to for recipes. Kevin's blog entries are always creative and inspired and it helps that I seem to have very similar taste buds to him! I saw this Roasted Strawberry Salad with Baked Goat Cheese and I instantly knew I had to make it.

The balsamic vinegar complements the strawberries so nicely and the creamy goat cheese is a great contrast to the tartness.

Roasted Strawberry Salad with Baked Goat Cheese

recipe adapted from here

ingredients:

• 8 ounces goat cheese
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used Panko)
• 4 cups strawberries, stemmed and halved
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 15 ounces Romaine lettuce, cut or torn onto bite-sized pieces (I used baby romaine and romaine hearts)
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 2/3 cup pecans, toasted
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp whole-grain mustard
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and freeze the goat cheese for 20 minutes.
2. Slice the goat cheese into discs and dredge them in the bread crumbs. (I rolled mine into small balls and then flattened them out for smaller discs) Bake for 5 minutes, or until golden brown (since I used Panko it didn't really brown). Set aside.
3. Toss the strawberries in the honey and balsamic vinegar to coat and place in a single-layer baking dish. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until slightly caramelized.
4. Pour the juices from the strawberries into a bowl and mix with the olive oil, mustard, salt, and pepper.
5. Toss the lettuce, strawberries, and dressing together and place goat cheese on top. Serve immediately.