My Thanksgiving Menu

The moment you tell people that you love to cook–that cooking is your passion, your life, your favorite thing in the whole world to do–they usually ask one question: so what are you making for dinner tonight?

But around this time of year, the question changes to: what are you making for Thanksgiving? Or, what are you making for Christmas? I wish I could reply with something fancy and extravagant, some out-of-the-box-and-exotic concoction of flavors and recipes from the nation’s top celebrity chefs. Sometimes I wish I could jerk a tear or two from them and say that I’m paying a tribute to my late grandmother this year by making a collection of her classic recipes for my holiday feast. Wouldn’t that be something special?

Truth is, I’m not doing either of those things this year (nor have I done them in years past). While a meal of a million courses featuring the recipes of Bobby Flay, Giada De Laurentis, or other Iron Chef Hall-of-Famers would certainly impress even the toughest food critics, and while a table laden with classic dishes made from recipes scrawled in my grandmother’s own handwriting would be something memorable and idyllic, this year I’m going a different route. 

This year, with just three people expected at my dining room table on Turkey Day (that’s including myself), I’m scaling it back and doing something simple. Back in October when I started planning out my Thanksgiving menu and pouring over the latest holiday magazines, I couldn’t decide what to do. Big, small, fancy, simple, ethnic, American, gourmet, quick…there’s just so many choices! But in the end, despite hours of surfing the web for recipes and flipping through cookbooks, I’ve decided to meld a few tasty looking recipes together and call it good. Why stress about it when it will be over before I know it and Christmas will be following closely on Thanksgiving’s heels? Thanksgiving is, after all, a time for giving thanks–not spending days in the kitchen laboring over a meal that will be devoured in minutes! (I’ll admit, though, that that can be an awful lot of fun, too, when you have the time.)

So, what’s on the menu? Here’s a sneak peek:

• Herb Roasted Turkey Breast (my own recipe) 
• Classic Cranberry-Orange Sauce (again, my recipe)
• Apple, Celery, and Leek Stuffing (a mish-mash of recipes from Rachael Ray, Martha Stewart, and my mom)
• Garlicky Greens (from Heidi at 101 Cookbooks)
• Easy Pumpkin Pie with Press-In Shorbread Crust (from Martha Stewart)

So there you have it. Simple and easy. No fluff, no frills. Just good old fashioned cooking. And you know what? Sometimes that’s just what we need in life. To take the pressure off of ourselves, lay aside extravagance, and just embrace the pleasure of enjoying the simple things in life.

This Thanksgiving, I won’t be breaking a sweat in the kitchen or running around to gourmet markets at the last minute picking up that special spice or those perfect pecans. Nope. Instead, I’ll be nestled in the warmth of my home surrounded by the people I love and giving thanks for the love that they give me back.

 

(This post is linked to Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays.)

Hearty Chickpea and Vegetable Curry

Growing up, my family was always very close. It was just the four of us–my mom, dad, older sister and me–and we were a tight-knit crew. Vacations, evening walks, holidays, birthdays, lazy summers…we did it all together. My parents always said that they had children so that they could enjoy them and spend time with them, not send them off to summer camp for two months of the year or fill up their schedules with tons of extracurricular activities during the week. I recall spending weekends building forts in the basement of our Chicago home with my sister, or playing catch with Dad out in the backyard, or baking cookies with my mom for a school treat. My childhood was built around the concept of treasuring family and the idea of living and loving life together. And let me tell you, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

All of that said, you can imagine how I–a girl used to such an intimate family setting–must have reacted when my sister met the man of her dreams one day and got engaged just a few months later. Suddenly the family dynamics were turned upside down. We weren’t just four anymore–we were five. When Mike entered the picture, I felt for a time like my familiar world of togetherness and closeness was being shattered. It wasn’t until a few months after my sister was married that I began to see that Mike wasn’t there to break up the family, but  rather to become a part of it. And again, let me tell you: I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Mike has brought a kaboodle of changes with him as he’s become part of this family. First and most obviously, he’s married my sister and swept her away into a life built in the foothills of Salt Lake City, Utah. Until now, my sister and I have never lived more than a hallway away from each other. Talk about change. Having her gone is a BIG one. And sometimes, on days when I feel the needles of loneliness prick at me, it can seem like a bad one, too. But there’s other changes that Mike’s introduced to our family that have been far more tolerable. Take his sense of humor, for instance. His outlook on life is lighthearted and joyful, which has definitely rubbed off a bit onto us. His love of the outdoors and his passion for creation has inspired us all to become more “earth-loving” (and, if nothing else, gotten us outside more for some good old fresh air!). Mike’s casual attitude and laid-back vibe have caused us to loosen up a little and just enjoy the journey of life, wherever it might be leading.

But there’s something else that Mike’s brought to the table as well, which leads me to the topic of today’s post. Along with his great appetite for life, Mike’s got an equally great appetite for good food. Some of his favorites? Apple cake with warm caramel sauce, “Jamba” juices, gelato, and almost anything ethnic. On one of my first visits to see my sister and brother-in-law’s new home in Salt Lake, we dined out at an Indian restaurant at Mike’s suggestion. It wouldn’t have been my first choice, I’ll say that. I’m not much of a taker for ethnic food. I prefer the plain and simple, the predictable, when I’m dining out. But that night, Mike cracked my shell and showed me that trying something new isn’t always so bad. I’ve since learned to branch out more and more in my experimentation with culinary ethnicity. Some things have turned out pretty bad (such as a watery coconut soup I made last winter), but other things–like the recipe I’m posting today–are a testament to the fact that embracing the new and unexplored can yield wonderful results.

This recipe is about as simple as you can get with ethnic food: curry. It doesn’t even have meat in it. Don’t let the rather long list of ingredients throw you. This recipe is easy to make and easy to eat on a cool autumn or winter’s night. I imagine it would freeze fairly well, too.

Serve it up with some brown rice on the side and you’ve got a warm and comforting supper. Drizzle with a bit of coconut milk on top if you like, or try it with a dollop of plain yogurt.

Most important of all, enjoy this meal in the company of those you love. I myself am looking forward to serving this recipe when Mike and my sister are home visiting at Christmas. It will be wonderful to spend the week together as a family. All five of us. 

Hearty Chickpea and Vegetable Curry

 1 heaping tsp. brown mustard seeds

2 tbs. olive oil

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 rib of celery, peeled and chopped

1/2 large yellow onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbs. sweet curry powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. ground coriander

1 small head caulifower, cut into bite-sized florets

1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes with juices

1 cup water

1 (14 oz.) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup frozen corn

2-3 tbs. white or red wine vinegar

Salt, to taste

Chopped parsley, for garnish

In a large deep-sided skillet over medium heat, toast the mustard seeds until they start to pop. Quickly add olive oil, carrots, celery, and onions. Saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, curry powder, cumin, and coriander. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add cauliflower, tomatoes, and water; stir to combine. Bring to a rapid simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and cover partially with a lid. Cook 10-15 minutes or until cauliflower is just tender, but not mushy.

Stir in chickpeas, frozen peas and corn, and vinegar. Season to taste with salt. Cook 3-5 minutes, or until the chickpeas and frozen vegetables are heated through. Sprinkle with parsley just before serving.

Serve over brown rice or with some warmed flatbreads for sopping up the sauce.

 

(This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Mondays at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free.)

Tips to Fight “the Bug”

Almost everyone I know is sick themselves, has been sick recently, is coming down with sickness, or knows someone else who’s sick. It’s really quite frightening when you think about it. All those germs out there, just floating around infesting everyone with nasty colds, bothersome flus, or other maladies.

I myself haven’t fallen prey to the dreaded flu yet…I hope I can say that all winter long! I think the biggest thing people can do right now in the midst of a world of sickness is to prevent it from happening before it can strike them sniffling in their tracks. So what are we to do to fend off ”the bug?” Below are a few simple tips. No, they’re not brand new strategies or reinventions of the wheel. Just some basic ideas that really work.

• Eat a colorful diet: try to eat as many colors of the rainbow each day as you can. Fruits and vegetables, packed with vitamins and minerals that fight viruses from A to Z, are your best bet at giving your body proper nourishment. Go for reds, blues, greens, yellows, oranges. Pack in the color wherever you can! Vitamins and minerals are bug-busters for sure, but fiber also helps keep the system “cleaned out” (if you know what I mean) and free of toxins.
• Get enough zinc: this mineral is notorious for boosting immunity and strengthening the body’s reserve system. Zinc is found in a variety of foods including fruits/veggies, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. It’s also plentiful in seafood and some meats. High quality zinc supplements can also be purchased at natural food stores or Whole Foods Market. Supplement with 15-30 mg per day to give your body a fighting chance.
• Drink lots of water: and I mean lots! Here’s a simple calculation to help you figure out how much you need each day: divide your body weight (in pounds) in half. Drink that number in ounces per day. For example: if you weigh 150 pounds, drink 75 ounces of water or approximately 9 1/2 cups.
• Exercise: regular movement gives your lymph system a kick in the you-know-where. The lymph system works on flushing toxins out of the body, therefore removing harmful bacteria, viruses, and germs.
• Get some ZZZs: strive for 8-9 hours of sleep per night, or more if you find yourself tired. It’s unbelievable how much repair and restoration the body does during periods of rest. Good sleep is critical to keeping your body on the top of it’s game, energized and ready to fight whatever comes it’s way.
• Stress LESS: stress plays a huge role in your body’s immune defense system. When under stress, the body will become weaker when it comes to fighting off “the bug” and you’ll be more susceptible to getting sick. Toning down your schedule, practicing daily “quiet time” or meditation, setting aside time for unrushed meals, or going for an afternoon walk in the sunshine can all help de-clutter the brain and relieve stress. Do whatever works for you, just be sure to find outlets that relieve your stress and allow some time for bodily relaxation.

Those are just a few tips to get you started. I hope they help both you and me stay healthy this winter season! I’ll be posting more tips on colorful eating, reducing stress, and other related topics in the coming weeks so keep your eyes open! Until next time, keep eating well, loving life, and staying healthy!

(This post is linked up to Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays.)

Cranberry-Pecan Date Balls

With the holidays just around the corner, I think it’s about time that I started sharing some good old holiday recipes–all made a little bit healthier, of course. And I can’t think of better way to kick off this wonderful season than with these scrumptious date balls.

I’ve been making variations of date balls for a long time. Some with straight up dates and walnuts, others with apricots or dried cherries. A few days ago I tried a new combo: cranberries and pecans, two classic holiday flavors. I’m in love with nuts–I eat them in some way or form nearly every day–but I usually reserve pecans for a special treat at the holidays. Their buttery, rich flavor is sublime in stuffings, on salads, or sprinkled atop baked apples or pears. But after trying these date balls, this may be my new favorite way to indulge in the savory pecan.

I love date balls for many reasons. Not only are they gluten-free, they’re also free of refined white sugar and flour, trans-fats, and high fructose corn syrup. Plus, they’re completely raw and require no baking. It’s a great recipe to use during the holiday season when your poor oven is already on operation overload with all the turkeys, hams, cookies, pies, and sweet potato casseroles coming and going.

Using a food processor makes light work of this recipe. If you don’t have one, you could try using a blender, although I can’t guarantee success if you go that route. You could also make these the good old fashioned way by simply chopping the nuts and dried fruits super-fine and then kneading the two together to form a dough-like mixture. Me? I’m far too lazy! I give all the work to my food processor, which is (not surprisingly) the most used piece of equipment in my kitchen.

I think these date balls are a hit with almost everyone who gets the pleasure of eating them. Bite sized and perfect for parties or cookie trays, they also would make a lovely hostess gift packaged up in a pretty box and tied with a ribbon. How wonderful would that be to give your hostess a treat that she can enjoy without worrying about sabotaging her diet? I don’t know what better gift there is than to give the gift of good health.

Enjoy!

Cranberry-Pecan Date Balls

¾ cup raw pecans

4 large dates, pitted and roughly chopped

1/3 cup dried cranberries, preferably fruit-juice sweetened

¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the S-blade, process the nuts until finely ground. Add the dates and process until they are pasted and fully incorporated into the nuts. Add the dried cranberries and cinnamon. Process until finely chopped and incorporated into nut-date mixture.

The mixture should stick together when pinched with your fingers. If it does not, add a few more cranberries or another date. If it is too sticky, add a few more pecans. When the consistency is right, form the mixture into balls about the diameter of a quarter. Refrigerate until ready to serve, or up to one week.

Makes 10-12 balls.

(For more gluten free, sugar free recipes, check out Slightly Indulgent Mondays.)

Black Bean Lettuce Wraps

Ever get tired of the same old, same old when it comes to lunches? Well, this post is for you then. Because today I made myself black bean lettuce wraps for lunch and they were delicious!

Easy to throw together with a few fridge and pantry staples, theses wraps are gluten-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free but certainly not free of flavor. A pinch of chili powder adds some spice, a bit of cumin lends smokiness, and red bell pepper and celery give crunch. The black beans, of course, offer an excellent source of protein and fiber.

I have to admit: up until last spring I don’t think I’d ever tried a black bean. I always told myself I didn’t like them, so I just never cooked with them. One day I branched out and made a salsa type thing with just a few black beans stirred into it and I had my socks knocked off big time! I found myself picking through all the tomatoes just to get to those black beans. It was love at first bite. I have since enjoyed black beans several times a week in various forms and for different meals (even breakfast one time!). If you’ve never tried them or–like me–convinced yourself for some reason or another that you don’t like them, give them a shot. I hope you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

To make these wraps heartier, serve the black bean salad mixed with some shredded lettuce in a whole wheat or brown rice tortilla (whole wheat, of course, would make them not be gluten-free any more). You could also make it heartier by mixing it with some cooked brown rice or quinoa for a bean-and-grain salad. Feel free to add more chili powder if you like things extra spicy. For me, just a pinch was enough though.

If you packed the bean salad and the lettuce cups separately, this would make a good take-along lunch for traveling or the office. Just keep it chilled in a cooler or the fridge. When lunchtime arrives, take a few seconds to assemble the wraps and BOOM….you’ve got a delicious, easy, healthy lunch to give you some mid-day fuel.

This recipe only makes one serving, as it was just me eating it for lunch today. But it’s a pretty loose recipe and could easily be doubled or tripled—heck, even quadrupled.

Black Bean Lettuce Wraps

1/3-1/2 cup black beans

2 tbs. chopped red bell pepper

1 tbs. chopped red onion

1 small stalk celery, finely chopped

Handful of cherry tomatoes, halved

2 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp. white or red wine vinegar

Pinch each of chili powder, cumin, and dried oregano

Salt to taste

Boston lettuce leaf “cups,” for serving

Diced avocado, for garnish

Combine the beans, pepper, onion, celery, tomatoes, olive oil, and vinegar in a small bowl. Then add the seasonings and salt to taste. Spoon the salad into the lettuce cups and top with diced avocado. Enjoy!

(UPDATE 11/6: This post is part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays.)

Enchilasagna

Enchiladas, meet Lasagna. Lasagna, meet Enchiladas.

Earlier this week while preparing a dinner “by ear” (that is, without any idea what I was making), I learned that when the classic Mexican casserole meets up with an Italian favorite, you get a perfect match. The technique is simple: layer tortillas with tomato sauce, any kind of veggie fillings, chicken or black beans, and some cheese. Then just pop her in the oven and let her get all brown and bubbly and fragrant. Serve it up with a simple slaw salad and you’ve got a quick weeknight supper that combines two delicious ethnicities into one delicious dish. (The slaw salad pictured above is so simple: toss thinly sliced cabbage, grated carrot, thinly sliced onion, and a handful of sunflower seeds with a bit of olive oil, white wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and–the secret–a drizzle of honey. Taste it and adjust the seasonings if needed.)

I started my enchilasagna by making a simple tomato sauce with some leftover steamed broccoli thrown into it.

Then I layered the sauce with whole wheat tortillas (you could also try using brown rice tortillas for a gluten-free version), some shredded chicken meat, frozen corn kernels, a few black beans, and some shredded cheese.  Layer #1 is pictured below.

Repeat the layers one more time, top it off with another tortilla, some sauce, and a sprinkling of cheese. Pop it in the oven and twenty minutes later…presto! Enchilasagna!

I love meal planning, but I also love playing dinner by ear. You know, just throwing open the refrigerator door and letting whatever you’ve got stuffed in the crisper inspire that night’s dinner. Enchilasagna does just that. It’s a rough recipe–more of a method, actually–that leaves plenty of wiggle room for incorporating seasonal ingredients, family favorites, or just using up odds and ends in the fridge.

Feel free to take this recipe to all kinds of different levels. Make it vegetarian by using only beans and no chicken. Make it “taco style” by using ground beef or turkey seasoned with taco seasoning and swap in corn tortillas for the whole wheat ones. Go Greek by adding in olives, red onion slices, and using feta cheese instead of shredded cheddar or pepperjack. Let your creative juices flow!

My method is outlined below. This time of year, hearty casserole-type dishes sneak into my weekly dinners more and more. This one in particular is going to be fun to play around with as the days get shorter and the temps get cooler. On our first snowy day here in Wisconsin, you’ll know where to find me in the late afternoon hours. 

Yep. Smack dab in the kitchen fiddling around with old recipes and testing out new ones. And maybe, just maybe, I’ll be whipping up another batch of this enchilasagna. It really is that good.

Enchilasagna

For the sauce:

1 tbs. olive oil

1/2 medium yellow onion

1 (14 oz.) can tomato sauce 

1/4 cup spicy salsa (I used Muir Glen Organics brand)

1/2 tsp. EACH garlic powder, chili powder, and cumin

Salt to taste

Fillings:

Frozen corn kernels (no need to thaw)

Black beans

Cooked chicken meat, shredded or chopped

Steamed vegetables such as broccoli or cauliflower florets

Other Ingredients:

1/2 – 1 cup shredded cheese, any kind you like (I used “Mexican Blend” with pepperjack, cheddar, and colby)

3 (8-10 inch) whole wheat or brown rice tortillas

Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400-degrees. To make the sauce, saute onion in olive oil until tender–about 4-5 minutes. Stir in the remaining ingredients and simmer for 5-10 minutes to marry the flavors.

In a 9-10 inch pie plate, spread a few spoonfuls of the sauce. Place a tortilla on top. Top with half of your selected fillings, then a few more dollops of sauce and a light sprinkling of cheese. Repeat once more. Top the second layer with the third tortilla. Spread the whole thing with sauce and sprinkle with a few handfuls of cheese.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until browned and bubbly. Sprinkle with parsley. Let rest a few minutes before serving.|Serves 3 hungry people or 4 not-too-hungry people.

(Note: this post is linked back to Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays.)

Honey-Mustard and Walnut Crusted Salmon

I make salmon for dinner probably once a week or at least once every other week for several reasons. Not only is it super healthy and full of good fatty acids, but it also pairs well with almost any side dish. It tastes great as a leftover and–because it is a firm fish–holds it shape well after being refrigerated for a day or two.

Last night, as I was preparing a couple of salmon filets, I got to thinking about how I could dress them up a little. Weeknight suppers can get to be so hum-drum, if you know what I mean. After a while I just get weary of preparing salmon the same way all the time. Not that salt, pepper, and lemons aren’t delicious (they are!), but sometimes you need a change of pace and new flavor palatte to work with. Lemons are lovely, but they aren’t the sort of thing I crave in late October. Isn’t it funny how your tastes can change so dramatically with the seasons?

I ended up pairing sweet-but-tangy honey mustard with some chopped walnuts as a topping for the salmon. It was so easy and quick, I was a little worried it would come out tasting bad. (For some reason I often fool myself into thinking that only difficult, laborious, “gourmet” meals are the tasty ones. It turns out that sometimes the best meals are the ones thrown together in a flash.) Surprise! The combo was great. Crunchy walnuts, sweet mustard, flaky salmon. A perfect trio.

I served the salmon with a nice big salad and some smashed red potatoes. Smashed potatoes are the lazy cook’s way of making mashed potatoes, but certainly not lacking on flavor. To make them, boil up some red potatoes (with the skins on) until they are tender. Drain them off, then return them to the hot pot. Add a splash of cream(for me this was about a 1/4 cup), a few tablespoons of salted butter, a handful of finely chopped parsley, and any other herbs or spices you’d like. I usually throw in some garlic powder and a salt-free blend of dried herbs I get from Penzey’s Spices. Mash everything up with a potato masher, the back of a slotted spoon, or even a fork. Keep them sort of chunky and “rustic” looking. Then give the potatoes a taste and add additional salt and pepper if needed.

Now. On to the salmon recipe. You’ll probably be able to read it in less than 30 seconds. That’s how quick and easy it is! Enjoy.

 

Honey-Mustard and Walnut Crusted Salmon

2 (6 oz) salmon filets, with skin

2 tbs. honey mustard

1/4 tsp. salt

1/3 cup raw walnuts, chopped finely by hand

Preheat the oven to 400-degrees. Place salmon in a baking dish, skin side down. Spread honey mustard on salmon filets with a spoon. Sprinkle the salt evenly over each filet. Divide the walnuts among the salmon and–using your hands-gently press onto the honey mustard to adhere.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until salmon is cooked through and walnuts are lightly browned.

Recipe Links

Sorry I haven’t posted for a while.  Truth is, I’ve been so busy reading other food and recipe blogs for the past week that I’ve almost forgotten about my own!  In light of this, I thought I’d share with you some links to recipes that I’ve drooled over in the past week.  My life has been rather busy lately so I’m so very sad to say that I haven’t made any of them yet, but I have the best intentions of trying them out sometime in November in December….because those are two very not-busy months, right? 

Well, January for sure.  It will be my New Year’s goal: to print off all the recipes that I have tagged as “favorites,” make one big giant shopping list, stock up on everything I need, and spend a weekend recipe testing.  (Now that’s my kind of 2010 goal!)

So here you go.  Have a blast clicking on and reading through and drooling over all these recipes.  And if you try any of them out, be sure to come back and let me know how they turned out for you.  Happy eating!

• Warm Red Cabbage Salad - from Heidi at 101 Cookbooks
• Moroccan Quinoa Pilaf – from The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen
• Kale with Cranberries – from Elana’s Pantry
• Spicy Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup - from La Tartine Gourmande (fabulous pictures!)
• Black Bean Croquettes - from Eating Well (not a food blog, but the recipe looked too good for me not to share)

Enough for now?

Greek Salad with Chicken and Artichoke Hearts

Something about the spring and fall seasons seems to get me in the mood for cleaning.  Nothing like a long, dark winter or busy summer to make junk accumulate, dust pile up on the blinds, or stale crumbs work their way into the pantry’s many crevices.  In the spring, I focus more on bedrooms, baths, closets, etc.  But in the fall, I turn my attention to the kitchen cupboards, refrigerator, and pantry.  It’s sort of like I’m clearing out all the clutter before the holidays hit and things again turn into one giant mess. 

“Purging the pantry” last weekend, I came across a jar of marinated artichoke hearts that I’d forgotten about.  Artichoke hearts got me thinking about a Greek salad I made earlier this summer.  And that recipe got me thinking about the photo I remember snapping of the salad because it was just so darn pretty.  And the photo got me wondering if I still had it stored on the computer.  So, quite determinedly, I sat down at my desk this week and started to sort through a whole kaboodle of pictures that have somehow worked their way onto my computer over the summer.  Photos of pasta, lemons, herbs, olive oil, some fig thing, and a bunch of others needed to be organized and filed away into their proper place.  It was cleaning of different sort, but much needed all the same.

Alas, I found the Greek salad tucked away in a folder I never use.  Instantly, though, I recalled the way I’d made it.  It was a super simple entree sized salad recipe that really was no recipe at all.  Just a bunch of Mediterranean ingredients compiled together to make a tasty, hearty, healthy salad.  I originally made the dish with the intention of posting it to this blog, but–as you can see–that never happened.  Well, it’s happening now.  This one’s just too good to file away into some far recess of my computer’s mind without at least mentioning to you.

Forgive the rather vague recipe.  It’s not that I can’t remember how I made it.  I can.  Quite clearly, actually.  But the whole point of the salad is to work with what you’ve got and put your own spin on it.  No red onion?  Use scallions.  No marinated artichoke hearts?  Try marinated sun-dried tomatoes.  No chicken?  Use white beans.  It’s all up to you and what flavors come to mind when you think of Greece.  I myself have never been there or known anyone who has been there (cry me a river), so this salad is just a conglommeration of my musings about Greek food and what I imagine it to be.

As much as I love fall cleaning, going through the cupboards and wiping out the fridge can wait.  For now, let’s eat like Greeks.

 

Greek Salad with Chicken and Artichoke Hearts

6-8 cups mixed greens (I like romaine lettuce mixed with baby spinach)

Chopped tomatoes–about 1/2 cup

Thinly sliced red onion–about 1/2 cup

1 (6 oz.) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and roughly chopped

Pitted Kalamata olives, if desired

Thinly sliced cucumber–as much as you like

2-3 grilled chicken breasts, sliced into bite-sized pieces (or use shredded rotisserie chicken meat)

Handful (or two or three!) of grated parmesan cheese

Arrange greens on a platter.  Then scatter atop the greens your tomatoes, onions, artichokes, olives, cucumbers, chicken, and parmesan.  It’s THAT easy!  For a dressing, I just pass olive oil and lemon wedges at the table.  This way people can dress their own salad to their tastes.

(UPDATE 10/23: This post is part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays.)

Ingredient Spotlight: Autumn Herbs

As we transition into autumn, not only does the weather change but so does my palate.  A plateful of tomatoes and mozzarella cheese or a big bowl of watermelon doesn’t look so appetizing to me anymore.  Instead, my mouth waters at the sight of caramelized onions and butternut squash, steaming Cinnamon-Scented Applesauce, and hearty vegetable stew.

You know what else has me drooling this season?  Autumn herbs like thyme, rosemary, sage (my personal fav), and fennel seed.  I do not call them autumn herbs because they are only available in the autumn.  You can find them in markets all throughout the summer months as well.  The reason I term them autumn herbs is because they complement the foods of fall so perfectly.  Over the summer I used parsley, dill, oregano, and basil by the fistfuls because they all pair well with the lighter fare of warm months.  But autumnal foods–such as baked chicken, roasted root vegetables, soups and stews, and pots of whole grain pilafs–can all stand up to an earthier, more robust herb with deeper flavor. 

I didn’t start using fresh herbs as liberally as I do now until about a year ago.  I guess I was always afraid that I would use too much on something or the wrong type of herb and it would ruin the dish.  This is a legitimate concern and I have certainly been caught in it’s trap a time or two.  But with a little practice and some experimentation in the kitchen, I’ve discovered that herbs are nothing to fear!  I’ve also learned what they pair well with, when to opt for dried instead of fresh, and how to store them to maximize their shelf life.

So I bring to you today a handy-dandy Autumn Herb Guide to jumpstart your journey in the world of fresh herbs.  Tack it to your bulletin board or clip it on your fridge so that whenever you’re feeling herby but are unsure of what pairs with what, how long it will keep, and if you really need to buy the fresh herb over dried, you’ll have answers at your fingertips.

AUTUMN HERB GUIDE

Rosemary

• Characteristics: hearty, earthy, robust, strong, woodsy
• What to use it for: add chopped fresh rosemary to any meat-based stew for deep, earthy flavor; sprinkle on chicken breasts or turkey breasts before roasting them in the oven; toss a few tablespoons minced rosemary with carrots, Yukon Gold potatoes, and leeks before roasting them with olive oil and garlic.
• Shelf Life: store in a zipper-top bag with a damp paper towel in the fridge for 5-7 days.
• When to use dried: I stay away from dried rosemary because the texture tends to be sharp and needle-like.  If you do use it, add it to “wet” foods like soups, stews, or braises while they cook to reconstitute the herb with water.

Thyme

• Characteristics: floral, earthy, delicate, lemony
• What to use it for: thyme pairs great with lemon in vinaigrettes or as a marinade for chicken.  One of my favorite uses for thyme is a few tablespoons minced and mixed into softened butter.  Use the herb butter on toasts, atop baked fish, or on baked potatoes.  It freezes great and will last 3 months stored in an airtight container in the fridge.  Add some lemon zest (or orange) to the butter for sweeter, more zesty flavor.
• Shelf Life: store in a zipper-top bag with a damp paper towel in the fridge for 5-7 days.
• When to use dried: any time I have substituted dried thyme for fresh, it has worked well.  Since dried herbs are stronger than fresh, just use slightly less than you would of the fresh herb.

Sage

• Characteristics: rich, buttery, woodsy, sweet
• What to use it for: sage and root vegetables are a match made in heaven.  Toss a few minced tablespoons of sage with roasted butternut squash or mix into squash puree and top with toasted walnuts for a decadent side dish.  Also great with roasted meats of any kind.  Check out this recipe for a killer Sweet Potato Soup with sage.
• Shelf Life: store in a zipper-top bag with a damp paper towel for up to 5 days in the fridge.
• When to use dried: dried sage tends to be rather crumbly, cakey, and almost “lint-like” in my opinion.  In stuffings made with bread or a savory bread pudding I think dried sage would be okay, or perhaps in a stew or braise.  But, for the best texture, I usually use fresh.

Fennel Seed

• Characteristics: sweet, licorice-like, peppery, spicy
• What to use it for: fennel seed is a perfect complement to ground chicken/turkey/beef and, when paired with crushed red pepper flakes, creates the flavor of Italian sausage.  Also complements braised cabbage or bok choy.  Use a bit of crushed fennel seed in shortbread cookies as well.  Or steep in boiling water for 5 minutes and then strain for a fennel seed tea that aids digestion.
• Shelf Life: fennel seed is only available dried, so it will last for a good 3-6 months before the flavor begins to fade.  Actual fennel bulbs available in the produce department are far more perishable and will last in the fridge for 3-5 days.

(Note: this post is part of Food Renegade’s Fight Back Fridays.)