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Inspiration for wholesome weeknight & weekend cooking.

Archive for ‘June, 2013’

Acorn Squash with Brown Sugar

This is how my Mom prepared acorn squash growing up.

Acorn Squash with Brown Sugar

Acorn Squash with Brown Sugar

Serves 2 – 4 (2 halves or 4 quarters).

Ingredients:

1 acorn squash

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon brown sugar

Directions:

Rinse the entire squash and place it in a baking dish, resting in about 1 inch of water.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Insert knife into squash to make sure it is cooked (knife should slide in easily).  Remove squash from oven and let cool slightly on a cutting board.  Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds and toss.  Top the acorn squash halves (or quarters) with butter and brown sugar.  Serve immediately.

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Baked Sweet Potato “Fries”

This is one of my favorite Ina Garten recipes (and that’s saying a lot!)  It’s so versatile – you can serve to kids for a casual, weeknight dinner or with a fancier meal if you are entertaining.  You can also make them ahead and reheat them in the oven if you need to.  I don’t know about you, but our family can’t get enough of sweet potatoes, so this is a fun way to mix it up.  Note: I slice my sweet potatoes a little thinner than Ina and I always double the recipe!

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Recipe from Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics

Baked Sweet Potato “Fries”

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Level: Easy
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Halve the sweet potatoes lengthwise and cut each half into 3 long spears. Place them on a sheet pan and toss with the olive oil. Spread the potatoes in one layer. Combine the brown sugar, salt, and pepper and sprinkle on the potatoes. Bake for 15 minutes and then turn with a spatula. Bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Sprinkle lightly with salt (if needed) and serve hot.

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Black Cod with Miso

There are a handful of dishes that I’ve ordered at restaurants that I will never forget.  This was one of them.  I was dining at Nobu while traveling on business for my job after college and the waiter talked me into ordering their Black Cod with Miso.  It melted in my mouth and the flavors were delightful.  This was not the fish I grew up having!  When I came across this similar recipe on Goop, I had to give it a try.  The hardest part is tracking down true black cod.  Your best shot might be calling the seafood counter at Whole Foods a week ahead and asking if they can order it for you.  (Remember that you want to pick it up the day before you serve it since it needs to marinate overnight.)  Substitutes can be sablefish or butterfish, but they are not as thick.  Note: I used Tamari (or you can use regular soy sauce) instead of nama shoyu (raw soy sauce).  This is great served with Stir-Fried Brown Rice with Seaweed & Black Sesame.

Black Cod with Miso

Recipe from Gwyneth Paltrow’s blog Goop.

Clean Black Cod with Miso

Makes 2.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb (2-3 fillets) black cod
• 1 tablespoon brown rice syrup
• 3 tablespoons nama shoyu
• 1/2 cup white miso paste
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Preparation:
Mix the brown rice syrup, nama shoyu and white miso paste in a container (with lid) and set aside.  Clean the fillets and pat them dry. Place the fish into the container, coat them with the marinade, cover and refrigerate overnight.  Preheat the oven to 400°.  Remove the fish from the fridge and scrape off the marinade.  Coat a grill pan with olive oil and set to high heat. Add the fish and cook until browned on each side, about 2 minutes. Transfer the fillets to the oven and bake for about 10 minutes, until nice and
flaky.

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Meat Stuffed Peppers

My mother-in-law “Cille” made this for our family when she was visiting and we loved it.  It’s healthy and tasty, it’s a meal in and of itself, it doesn’t make a huge mess in your kitchen, it can be made ahead (I love this!), and you can easily freeze extras for a future dinner.  She used to make this all the time for her four hungry boys growing up (they loved this in high school).  I thought I would take a crack at updating this classic.  For the bell peppers, I substitute yellow and orange peppers for the traditional green peppers (I still make a green one for my husband who is nostalgic!)  Instead of hamburger meat, I use ground bison (it’s healthier and I think tastes so much better).  Instead of white rice, I use farro (it has a nice chewy texture and is fiber rich and is full of minerals) and you can also use pearl barley (also a great source of fiber and can lower cholesterol) or just brown rice.

Meat Stuffed Bell Peppers

Adapted from my mother-in-law Cille’s recipe and one from Emeril Lagasse.

Meat Stuffed Peppers

Serves 6.

Ingredients:

6 bell peppers (try a mix of colors), tops cut away and seeds removed

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup onion, finely chopped

1 pound ground Bison meat (can substitute turkey)

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

pinch of red pepper flakes

2 cups cooked farro or pearl barley (or brown rice)

8-ounce can tomato sauce (Muir Glen Organic)

shredded cheese (mozzarella or cheddar)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large pot of boiling water, parboil the peppers until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and dry on paper towels.

In a large saute pan or skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the bison meat, garlic, parsley, salt, black pepper, and pepper flakes. Cook until the meat is browned, stirring with a heavy wooden spoon to break up the lumps, about 5 minutes. Pour off any excess fat. Add the farro or barley and tomato sauce and stir well. Remove from the heat and adjust the seasoning, to taste.

Pour enough water into a baking dish to just cover the bottom, about 1/8-inch deep. Stuff the bell peppers with the rice mixture and place in the baking dish. Top each pepper with plenty of shredded cheese. Bake until the peppers are very tender and the filling is heated through, 30-35 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

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A Really Good Tri-Tip Marinade

I’m always looking to try a new steak marinade and this one is delicious.  Tri-tip is a wonderful cut of meat for grilling — it’s less expensive than rib eye and very tender and full of flavor.  I did have to buy malt vinegar for this recipe, which I found at Whole Foods.  Note: I used less garlic than the recipe calls for – 2 tablespoons seemed like so much!

Tri-Tip Marinade

Recipe from blog The Kitchn.

A Really Good Tri-Tip Marinade

“My friend Bill shared his tri-tip marinade recipe with me, and recently I gave it a try. It was delicious! The marinade was garlicky and peppery, sweet and savory, and just wonderful. The meat was tender and succulent.”

Ingredients:

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon onion salt or garlic salt
2 tablespoons parsley flakes
1/4 cup malt vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons finely minced garlic
A nice piece of trip-tip, anywhere from 1.5 to 4 lbs.

Preparation:
In a saucepan, mix together 1/4 cup of the sugar and 1/4 cup of the water and bring to a boil, stirring all the while. When the sugar gets a dark color, add the spices and stir. Bring back to a boil for a minute, and then add the vinegar, the other 1/4 cup of water, the soy sauce, and the fish sauce. Mix well and taste. If you feel like it needs more “balance,” add a little more salt. Add the garlic and the 2 tablespoons of sugar. Bring back to a boil, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Let cool.

Place the tri-tip roast in a shallow baking dish or a Ziploc bag and pour the cooled marinade over. Place in fridge and let marinade for a hour or overnight. (I did this overnight.)

Cooking Method:
This can be cooked on the grill or roasted in the oven. If roasting in the oven, do it at 425 degrees F and stick a meat thermometer in. When it reaches an internal temperature of 128 degrees, remove from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving.

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Turkish Chicken

We eat chicken at least once a week and we got so tired of my boring baked chicken preparation.  Now that I’ve discovered this wonderful Turkish Seasoning from Penzys Spices, we have an easy and tasty way to make chicken that we all look forward to.  Follow the simple marinade and refrigerate in the morning or in the afternoon, and cook the chicken how you like (bake, saute or grill).  The marinade should work on lamb and beef just as well as it does on chicken.

Turkish Chicken

Recipe adapted from Penzeys catalog.

Turkish Chicken

Ingredients:

Turkish Seasoning by Penzeys Spices

1 pound chicken (we prefer boneless, skinless)

Extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Mix 1 tablespoon olive oil with 1 tablespoon Turkish Seasoning and rub over chicken.  Let marinate in refrigerator for at least 2 hours or all day.  Bake in oven at 375 or 400 degrees for 15-17 minutes or until chicken is just cooked through (insert knife into thickest part of chicken and chicken will no longer look pink and the juices should run clear).  Alternately, sauté in skillet (or grill) over medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes per side or until chicken is just cooked through (insert knife into thickest part of chicken and chicken will no longer look pink and the juices should run clear).  Let the meat rest for a few minutes (so it retains its juices) before serving or slicing.

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