Summer side dish

It's September!  The kids are back to school and soccer and our summer adventures seem like a distant memory but it's still warm and summer weather here in So Cal.  I tried to make soup the other night for dinner but on a hot evening, it felt sort of weird!  I thought I'd share a summer side dish recipe that I made over the summer months.  It's a healthy recipe (0 WW points) and makes a big batch.  I've been putting it in smaller containers and grabbing it for work lunches now that my beach days are on hold for awhile. 

The recipe is pretty basic - you can add or substitute other beans if there are some you don't like and you could change up the seasoning (lemon juice and italian seasoning?) to make it go better with your main dish of choice.  A couple of tomatoes are nice too but they get mushy when you have leftovers. Sometimes I put it over a bed of lettuce and add some grilled chicken to make a main dish.

Bean & Corn Summer Salad
8+ side dish servings

1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups shelled cooked edamame
1 bag of frozen sweet corn, thawed
a handful of chopped cilantro
1/2 small red onion, chopped
juice of 1 lime
1-2 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Stir it all together and refrigerate for half hour or more before serving.  Lasts in the refrigerator for about a week.

Pineapple Cole Slaw

This summer my husband made lots of delicious ribs and it was a great way to feed a crowd when we had friends over.  I usually just make a big salad and have some fruit to go with it but one day I was inspired to make a new coleslaw as a side dish.  I like non-mayonaise based coleslaws and this one has a little creaminess from the greek yogurt but fits my criteria of "no mayo!"  The sugar is optional - if your pineapple is super sweet, you probably won't need it or miss it.  If you like a little kick, add the diced jalapeño.

Pineapple Coleslaw (makes 6 cups)

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (nonfat is ok)

1 T white wine vinegar

1 T rice wine vinegar

3 T pineapple juice (from canned pineapple or fresh)
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
2 cups pineapple bits (diced fresh or from a can, drained)
5 cups shredded green cabbage
salt and pepper to taste
jalapeno, diced (optional)
1 T raw sugar (optional)

Whisk together yogurt, vinegars, pineapple juice, lime juice, salt and pepper, jalapeño and sugar (if using) until well-blended.  Toss with the onions, pineapple, and cabbage.  Refrigerate for at least an hour.  Mix in the cilantro before serving.

Instant Pot (Kid) Flop

My kids are quite the food critics and will often voice their opinions in a constructive way (this is good but too spicy, I don't like this together with that) but not this time.  I made a new instant pot recipe which I could barely get them to taste and paired it with potstickers which they've loved in the past but also would barely taste this time around.  Sigh.

I, however, was a big fan.  I like cooked cabbage, I like egg rolls, and I've wanted to try a "deconstructed egg roll" recipe for awhile.  It was quick, nutritious, and tasty.  I made some plain chicken potstickers for the girls but the Trader Joe's Chicken Cilantro Wontons for me.  This would be a good low-carb side dish with the previous short rib recipe, with grilled fish, or even with sashimi.  If you use a GF soy sauce and teriyaki sauce, it would be gluten free.

Deconstructed Egg Roll (in an instant pot) makes 6 cups
from You Brew My Tea blog

4 cups shredded cabbage
2 cups shredded carrots
2 cups bean sprouts (I used fresh but you could use 1 can, drained and rinsed)
1/2 cup broth (chicken or vegetable)
2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup Teriyaki sauce
2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
salt and pepper to taste after cooking

In a bowl, mix the broth, sesame oil, soy sauce, teriyaki, ginger and garlic.

Pour broth in the bottom of your instant pot.  Pour in cabbage, carrots, and bean sprouts.  Cover with the sauce mixture and stir it all together.  Set to manual / pressure cook and cook for 7 minutes.  Do a quick release and remove lid.  Stir well and taste.  Add salt and pepper if desired.

1SP / half cup

Green Rice

"There are two kinds of people in the world:  people who wake up thinking about what to have for supper and people who don't." - Lynne Rosetto Kasper

I first read this quote in one of Shauna Niequiest's books and I immediately identified myself as the first kind of person.  I'm sitting here this morning dreaming about this green rice that my mom made a couple of months ago for us and wondering what I'm going to have for supper tonight.  It's warm, filling, and has an amazing flavor.  My mom served it as the base for these rice bowls which were super yummy, but it can stand on its own as a side dish in a lot of different types of meals.  I think it's passed up the cilantro-lime rice as my favorite!  I imagine that long grain white rice would work fine in place of the brown, but you may need to reduce the cooking time so it doesn't get mushy.

Green Rice (makes 3 cups)
From the Cookie and Kate blog

3 T olive oil
1.5 cups long grain brown rice
3 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups baby spinach, lightly packed
1/2 cup cilantro (mostly leaves, some stems are ok), lightly packed
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, membranes removed, roughly chopped
1 medium shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled, roughly chopped
1/4 tsp salt (plus more to taste)

Place the spinach, cilantro, jalapeno, shallot, garlic, salt and 1/2 cup of the vegetable broth in a food processor or blender.  Process until smooth.

Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat.  Add the rice and stir to coat.  Continue stirring until the rice begins to lightly brown.  Stir a little more until most of it is light brown and then add the green puree to the rice.  Stir to evenly coat the rice and stir constantly for a minute.  Add the rest of the broth and bring to a boil. 

Reduce the heat to low, cover, and let simmer until tender (35-40 minutes).  Remove from heat and let it sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

Grown Up Gatherings

In the last year, I've been lucky enough to find two great groups of ladies to hang out with - my monthly book club and my Shot Girls tennis team.  It's not as easy to make new friends as a grown up as it is when you're younger, but when you do, it's a lot of fun.  I recently went to a potluck with my tennis friends to kick off the fall season, and I was thinking about the fact that I got to cook something that didn't have to be "kid-friendly."  For me, this means something spicy that my kids wouldn't eat, so I ended up making jalapeno mac & cheese.

This dish doesn't need much of an explanation or much hype.  Jalapeno mac & cheese.  It was amazing!  Only recipe note:  use whatever cheese you like.  I used a sharp cheddar and a little bit of jack cheese to round it off.  You can omit the breadcrumbs if you want to.


Jalapeno Mac & Cheese (8 side dish servings)

1 lb macaroni (or other noodle of choice)
4 T butter
3 T flour
1 c. milk
4.5 c. shredded cheese 
pepper, paprika, cayenne to taste
1 small can (about 4 T) diced jalapenos
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 350. Cook macaroni (or noodle of choice) until al dente. Drain and set aside. Melt butter in a medium sized sauce pan and whisk in flour until smooth. Add milk and shredded cheese (for best results, add cheese a little at a time and whisk constantly). 

If it seems too thick, add between a few tablespoons and another half cup of milk. Season with pepper, paprika, and cayenne (to taste). Add  diced canned jalapenos. In a buttered pan, combine the macaroni noodles and the cheese sauce. Sprinkle the top with  the breadcrumbs and bake for 20 minutes.

Atlanta Trip 2016

Our first trip of the summer was a long weekend trip to the Atlanta area to celebrate my husband's grandma's 93rd birthday.  Fifteen years ago we got married on grandma's birthday and we've made it a point to remember that date :)

Here are some photos of this special trip to the south:

In the Super Shuttle - all ready for a day of travel

We made it!  In Atlanta with Aunt Sharon

Really fun visit to the Center for Puppetry Arts

Enjoying water activities with NO CAST!

Hanging out with Great Grammy

Celebrating Gram's 93rd birthday

Arguably the best part of the trip for Middle - hanging out with Barkley

Enjoying the southern tradition of sitting on the porch

A fantastic New Orleans style farewell dinner at Henry's in Acworth

We also had so much great food.  From another visit to Henry's, to an amazing french toast casserole (that we even drizzled bourbon over and had for dessert the next day) to a fabulous birthday party menu - I had to work out extra after the trip!  This was one of my favorite things that our aunt made - a fresh, summery side dish that I'll be making soon.

Corn, Tomato & Avocado Salad (4 side dish servings)

1 pint grape tomatoes
1 ripe avocado
2 ears fresh sweet corn
2 T fresh cilantro, chopped
one lime, juiced
3 T vegetable oil
1 T honey
1 clove garlic, minced
dash of cayenne pepper

Grill corn until it has some brown spots.  Cut off the cobb and set aside to cool.  Slice tomatoes in half and dice avocado.  Combine with the corn and cilantro.

For the dressing, whisk together the remaining ingredients.  Mix gently with the vegetables.  Let it sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Zucchini Basil Cous Cous

Our garden is growing!  It has a lot of direct sunlight and with the heat, some things didn't make it (most of our strawberries, broccoli, lettuce) but other things are coming in great (zucchini, carrots, herbs, sunflowers, tomatoes, and chile peppers).  It's small but the girls have delighted in planting, watering, and especially picking.  Our zucchini plant is hard to keep up with - we've given away some to family and neighbors and I've been making lots of new and old favorite zucchini recipes.  Middle loves it just steamed or sautéed with a little salt and has been opposed to grating and baking with it which is actually great.

You could do lots with this basic recipe - varying the herb that you use (mint? thyme?) to go with the rest of your meal would be a start.  I was thinking some feta cheese would also be a good addition for next time.

Zucchini & Basil Cous Cous (8 side dish servings)
Original recipe from Food Network

10 oz couscous
2 cups chicken broth
2 T olive oil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 cloves minced garlic
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 T green onion, sliced
2 T basil, sliced thin
salt & pepper

Bring the broth to a boil.  Stir in the couscous, remove from heat and cover.  Let it stand for about 5 minutes.

In a large pan, heat the olive oil.  Add the red pepper flakes, garlic, zucchini, and green onions.  Cook until tender (about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Fluff the couscous with a fork and fold in vegetables.  Stir in the basil.  Add a little salt and pepper to taste.

Asparagus Salad

Let's start with some family news . . . 

Middle had her preschool promotion and is off to Kindergarten in the fall!

Big broke her arm (jumping off her bike) and did her last school project for the year

The girls and their cousins performed an original play in a park in Claremont

Little went to Chuck E. Cheese for the first time and LOVED it

We are on major count down mode . . . I only have ONE more day on campus and ZERO more papers to grade.  Big has 4.5 days of 2nd grade left and the little girls already started preschool summer camp.  The warm weather, a fun Memorial Day BBQ with the cousins, and lots of outside time has us super excited for the summer.

As you head into summer, here is a side dish that I love.  I posted about it a long time ago, but there are a few things buried in the blog that I wanted to share again.  My girls love asparagus and we normally just grill it or roast it in the oven, but this tangy, crunchy topping is really delicious.  It would be a great thing to bring to a summer BBQ or potluck!  

Sarah's Asparagus with Bleu Cheese (serves 6)

1 1/2 lbs fresh asparagus cut into 2 inch wedges (I used 2 bunches)
2 small tomatoes, cut in wedges or diced
1/3 c. sliced almonds, toasted
1/3 c. crumbled bleu cheese

Dressing:
3 T cider vinegar
3/4 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1 T sugar (more or less depending on your taste)
1 T onion, diced or grated
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/3 c. vegetable oil.

Cook asparagus in boiling water for 3-5 minutes or steam it until it's "crisp tender" (al-dente?). Add the tomatoes.

In a blender, combine the dressing ingredients and process until smooth. Toss with the asparagus/tomato combination and sprinkle the almonds and bleu cheese on top.

Strawberry Girl

How can I post about a strawberry recipe without some pictures of my strawberry girl?  Little turned THREE in February (maybe I haven't posted about her birthday because I'm in denial that my baby is so old!) and she is so sweet and good-natured.  If you remember, she was a strawberry for Halloween and has always loved strawberries - it's just one of the little special things about her.

Little and Middle also love cucumbers and I remembered this side dish to use up some extra berries that we had hanging around.  I was gifted this bottle of beautiful honey balsamic from Vom Fass in Claremont and it worked perfectly in this salad.

Strawberry & Cucumber Salad
from Trader Joe's Claremont

4 cups quartered strawberries
2 T thinly sliced basil
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
6 small persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl.  Toss gently to coat and cover and chill for 1 hour.

Combine the cucumbers and lemon juice and toss to coat.  Add cucumber, salt & pepper to chilled strawberries and gently toss together.

Woodranch Copycat Coleslaw

I love how you can find online "copycat" recipes of restaurant favorites.  They're not always accurate or as good, but this coleslaw recipe was a hit.  I served it with the chicken fajita stuffed peppers and I found out that Little LOVES coleslaw.  She'll eat and eat it - for breakfast, lunch, whatever.  She and I fought over the leftovers of this recipe (well, I was so proud of her for eating cabbage that I let her win).

Woodranch Coleslaw (6 side dish servings)

1 (16oz) package refrigerated coleslaw (with carrots)
1.5 cups shredded red cabbage
3/4 cup finely sliced celery
1/3 cup chopped green onion
1/3 c. red wine vinegar
1 T water
1 T sugar
1/4-1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/3 c. vegetable oil
pepper to taste
1 cup dry roasted peanuts.

In a large bowl, combine all vegetables.  In a small bowl, whisk together everything else except the peanuts.  Toss the cabbage mixture with the dressing.  Refrigerate until serving.  Sprinkle with peanuts and toss again when you're ready to serve.

Skillet Potatoes

After daylight saving time started and it was light outside later, we made hamburgers one night and I found a new side dish recipe to go with them.  Let me pause by saying that when you picture "hamburger" it's probably not what my husband makes.  He grills hamburger patties and center cut bacon, toasts Kaiser rolls in the bacon grease, and assembles his famous "Gondola Ride" adding deli mustard, Swiss cheese, arugula, red onions, and bacon.  They are amazing.

The full name of this recipe on the original site is "Crispy-Outside, Creamy-Inside Garlic Herb Potatoes" - too long!  I'm going to call them skillet potatoes.  I loved the method and the end result and I'll be making these often as a side dish.  I liked dipping them in spicy mustard.

Skillet Potatoes (serves 4-6)
from Host the Toast

1 1/2 pounds baby red potatoes
1 sprig rosemary
3 sprigs thyme
2 c. low sodium chicken broth (plus more if necessary)
2 T olive oil
2 T butter
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T parsley, finely chopped

In a 10 inch nonstick skillet, arrange the baby red potatoes so that they are in a single layer with a little extra room around each one (you'll flatten them later).

Add the rosemary, thyme, chicken broth, olive oil, kosher salt and 1 tablespoon of the butter to the skillet.  Bring to a boil.  After it boils, reduce the heat to medium and put a lid on the skillet but leave it cracked to vent the excess steam.  Make sure the broth simmers for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.

If all the liquid has absorbed, add an additional 1/2 cup.  You want the broth to come about 1/3 of the way up the side of the potatoes.

Take the pan off the heat and use a mallet or the back of a measuring cup to press down on the tops of the potatoes lightly until the skin cracks and and they flatten a little bit.

Return to high heat, uncovered, until the liquid has absorbed and the potatoes have browned on the bottom, about 10 minutes.  Take the pan off the heat again and flip the potatoes.  You can flatten them a little bit more at this point and scrape up any burnt bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the last tablespoon of butter, sprinkle with parsley, and cook until that side is browned, about 5 more minutes.  Serve warm sprinkled with salt and pepper.

Strawberry & Cucumber Salad

Make this.  You'll thank me later.

Strawberry & Cucumber Salad
from Trader Joe's Claremont

4 cups quartered strawberries
2 T thinly sliced basil
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar*
1 tsp. sugar
2 medium cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl.  Toss gently to coat and cover and chill for 1 hour.

Combine the cucumbers and lemon juice and toss to coat.  Add cucumber, salt & pepper to chilled strawberries and gently toss together.

*I had some really good fig balsamic vinegar and it was perfect for this dish.

Potatoes Anna

The other night I made this for the second time and I really like the simplicity of the recipe (check out that ingredient list) and the crispy potatoes.  It's a versatile side dish for lots of kinds of menus.  We usually have it with grilled salmon or steaks.  The original calls for all white (russet) potatoes which you can certainly use, but I like it with a layer of sweet potatoes in there.  I use my mandolin slicer to get really thin slices.

Middle layer

Top before going into the oven

Potatoes Anna (serves 6-8)

from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food

6 russet potatoes (or 3 sweet potatoes and 3 russets)

6 tablespoons of butter, melted

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Peel potatoes and using a mandolin or sharp knife, thinly slice into rounds (1/4 in. thick or thinner).  Martha says not to put the slices in water - you need the starch to bind the dish together.

Brush the bottom of a 9 or 10 inch cast iron skillet with about a tablespoon of butter.  Place a layer of potatoes, slightly overlapping, in a circular pattern covering the bottom of the skillet.  Brush with another half tablespoon of butter, sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Repeat for two more layers.  I usually put the sweet potatoes as the middle layer.  

Place the skillet over high heat on the stovetop until the butter sizzles (about 2-4 minutes).  This will brown the bottom layer.  Put the skillet in the oven for about an hour or until the potatoes are fork tender and lightly browned on top.  Remove from oven.

Martha says to run a small spatula around the potatoes and invert onto a serving platter.  I've made a huge mess trying this so I serve them from the cast iron skillet.  But, I'm sure if you're more coordinated than me, it's beautiful that way!

Southwest Turkey Salad

This salad was really high in protein and fiber, low in calories and fat, and delicious.  I ate too much (belly ache from the aforementioned fiber) and I really liked the flavors.  I didn't add the can of green chiles or jalapeños but we both agreed it needed a little more kick so I'd try that if you're going to make it.  This would be a nice dish for a potluck or picnic, a brunch, or to have on hand for lunch.  We ate it with some bread for dinner last week when it was really hot out.  

Southwest Turkey Salad (6 side dish servings)

3 T olive oil

1/2 cup orange juice

2 T red wine vinegar

3/4 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1 (15oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 oz) can corn, drained

1 can diced chiles or jalapeños

3 cups cubed turkey

1/3 c. chopped red onion

2 T chopped cilantro

Whisk together the oil, orange juice, vinegar, cumin, salt and pepper.  Stir in the beans, corn, chiles, turkey, onion and cilantro.  Serve right away or refrigerate for a few hours.

Cabbage Salad

A few years ago, the LA Times published a recipe for a red cabbage salad that was supposed to be like the Clearman's North Woods Inn version.  I've made it a couple of times, most recently for my Dad's birthday (we also had Clearman's cheese toast) and it's yummy!

Clearman's Red Cabbage Salad

1/2 cup plus 2 T. red wine vinegar

3 T. sugar

3 tsp. kosher salt

2 tsp. seasoned salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 head red cabbage, coarsely shredded

Whisk together vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, and onion powder until sugar and salt are completely dissolved. Whisk in oil. Dressing can be made ahead and stored in fridge. Bring to room temp before using. Pour over cabbage, toss well and let sit 10-15 minutes. Toss again and serve.

Pesto Potato & Green Bean Salad

I'm really excited that it's almost summer!  I keep myself from thinking about the 90+ essays I'll be collecting in the next week or so, I've been making a summer "fun" list of things I want to do . . . maybe I'll share it on here sometime soon.

This potato salad is a great summer side and addition to a barbecue or potluck.  Without any mayonnaise or anything like that, it can sit at room temperature for a long time and is good warm or cold.  You can serve it to your GF friends, and your vegatarian friends.  The other potato side dish I like to make is this Deconstructed Potato Salad but this pesto version with the green beans is definitely going to make its appearance at summer dinners this year!

I thought the leftovers were amazing and even though I didn't have pine nuts, I'd definitely add them the next time.  My husband thought the potatoes should be cut smaller than quarters so I'll probably make that change next time too.

I found the recipe on Smitten Kitchen and Deb makes her own pesto for the salad.  I used store bought (Trader Joe's) but if you want the ingredients & instructions to make your own (it's not hard!) click on the link under the recipe title.

Pesto Potato & Green Bean Salad  Serves 10

from Smitten Kitchen

4 pounds small Yukon gold or red-skinned potatoes, quartered
1 pound green beans, cut into one-inch segments
1 cup of prepared pesto

6 Tablespoons (or more to taste) of a mild vinegar (white wine, champagne, or white balsamic)

1/4 cup chopped green onions (scallions)
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
Parmesan cheese to taste

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 10 minutes. Add beans; cook four minutes longer. Drain well and let cool, then transfer potatoes and 

beans to a large bowl.

Toss the beans and potatoes with pesto. Stir in vinegar, green onions, pine nuts and season with salt, pepper and/or additional vinegar to taste. Finally, shave some wide flecks of parmesan over the salad with a vegetable peeler.

Serve immediately, or make this up to two hours in advance. It can be stored at room temperature.

Quinoa Salad

In the summertime I made a quinoa salad with mango and black bean and this sort of reminded me of that.    About 6 months ago, someone at church made this for potluck and I walked around to the tables to find out who made it so I could get the recipe.  Turns out, it's from the back of the box of Trader Joe's organic red quinoa.  

One of my New Year's resolutions is to feed my family better and to make meals we can all eat (instead of an adult meal and a kid's meal).  I served this quinoa salad with baked turkey taquitos (idea from here if you want a recipe).  The girls liked parts of the quinoa salad not mixed together (a little avocado, some black beans, some corn) but I still only made one dinner for all 4 of us!

The dressing is the bottled cilantro dressing from Trader Joe's but if you don't live near a TJ's, you can try the homemade version after the salad recipe.

Black Bean, Roasted Corn and Avocado Quinoa Salad (6 side dish servings)

1 cup quinoa

2 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)

1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups roasted corn kernels (I used thawed frozen corn)

1 avocado, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 c. red onion, finely diced

3/4 cup cilantro salad dressing

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

zest of one lime

salt and pepper

Place quinoa and broth in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until all water is absorbed, about 10 minutes.  Set aside to cool.  

Combine quinoa, black beans, corn, avocado, tomatoes, onion, half of the cilantro and the salad dressing in a bowl.  Stir in lime zest and salt and pepper to taste.  Add more dressing if you want to.  Garnish with the remaining cilantro.

Cilantro Dressing (or marinade)

Combine the following ingredients in a blender, mini chopper, or food processor:

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 garlic clove
Salt and pepper

Balsamic Chicken & Oven Baked Risotto

Merry Christmas to all of you!  This week between the holidays is a little weird - Claremont is empty and I'm wondering where everyone went.  Big sister had preschool today and there were only 5 kids there in the whole preschool.  Maybe everyone is vacationing somewhere tropical?  I might normally be jealous of that idea, but right now I'm happy to be home (not having to go on an airplane anywhere) and enjoying some time with family.  We're hosting family dinner tonight and headed back to my mom's on Thursday night - fun!

So, did you know that you can make risotto in the oven?  It actually turned out awesome with a lot less hands on time.  I'll be making it again soon!  I only made a very basic version with parmesan cheese but I bet a lot of risotto flavors / variations would work with this technique.  I made it to go with a favorite chicken recipe that's never made it on the blog so both recipes are below.  Usually I do the pan sauce for the chicken like the recipe below, but this time, I skipped it and just sliced and served the chicken over the risotto.  I put a little caprese salad garnish on top . . . would have been better on the side because the chicken and risotto made it warm and it wasn't great that way.

Balsamic Roasted Chicken (serves 4)

from Giada de Laurentis

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or pieces)
• 1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Whisk the vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper in small bowl to blend. Combine the vinaigrette and chicken pieces in a large resealable plastic bag; seal the bag and toss to coat. Refrigerate, turning the chicken pieces occasionally, for at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Remove chicken from the bag and arrange the chicken pieces in a large greased baking dish (or Dutch oven). Roast until the chicken is just cooked through, about 30-40 minutes. If your chicken browns too quickly, cover it with foil for the remaining cooking time. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter. 
At this point, if you're using a Dutch oven that can go on the stove, place it on a burner over medium-low heat. Whisk the chicken broth into the pan drippings, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon and mixing them into the broth and pan drippings. Let it come to a boil and reduce a bit.  Drizzle the pan drippings over the chicken. Sprinkle the lemon zest and parsley over the chicken, and serve.

Alternatively, you can dump the drippings and any leftover marinade into a saucepan with the broth and make the pan sauce that way.  I've also eaten the chicken without making a pan sauce at all (skipping the broth part altogether).

Oven baked Risotto (serves 4-6)

1 1/2 c. arborio rice

4 1/2 c. chicken or vegetable broth

3/4 c. finely grated parmesan cheese

2 T butter, cut into small pieces

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Pour rice and broth into a large baking dish (or Dutch oven) and stir to combine.  Cover and place in the oven for 45 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente.

With a wooden spoon or spatula, beat in the parmesan, butter, salt and pepper.  Serve immediately.

Butter Lettuce Salad with Haricots Verts and Feta

I don't often follow recipes or post recipes for salad . . . I throw together whatever vegetables, lettuce, and dressing I have on hand.  But, I made this one from a recent issue of Food & Wine and it was fantastic.  I used the extra dressing on a bunch of different types of salad for the next week or so.  Great salad course option and I'll be using this salad dressing often.

Goddess Salad with Haricots Verts and Feta (serves 6)

from Food & Wine

1/2 pound haricots verts

1 T minced shallot

1 small garlic clove, minced

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

3 T cider vinegar

3 T fresh lemon juice

3/4 c. canola oil

1 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves (I used about 3/4 tsp dried)

freshly ground pepper

2 heads of Bibb or butter lettuce, torn into pieces

1/2 lb feta cheese, crumbled

1 large seedless cucumber, thinly sliced

3 large hard cooked eggs, quartered.

In a medium saucepan of salted boiling water, cook the haricots verts until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Drain and cool under running water and pat dry.  Set aside.

In a blender or mini processor, combined the shallot, garlic, mustard, vinegar, and lemon juice until smooth.  Add the canola oil and thyme.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a large bowl, combine the torn lettuce, half of the feta, the cucumber and haricots verts.  Add about half to 3/4 of the dressing.  Plate the salads, garnish with the hard cooked eggs, more of the feta, drizzle with a little more dressing, and grind some fresh pepper over the top.  Serve.

An Accidental GF Meal

Please enjoy this guest post from my sister Paula . . . she is one of the most faithful readers of this blog and I'm excited to try these recipes!  There's no photo of her recipe so instead, I offer you this picture of the cook cycling in Oregon in JULY.

"I have recently made a commitment to myself to make interesting food and, in general, cook at home more. I sort of got out of the habit of buying groceries this summer but fall is here and I am ready to begin. Today, I thought I would use polenta that has been in my cupboard for months and due to expire in October.  So, as always, I accessed my go to resource....this blog.  But alas! my sister has no recipes that use polenta as a main ingredient. I went to my back the drawing board (or the internet) where I found the following recipe.

I am happy to present a wonderful meal of that not only uses polenta but, as it turns out, is GF too. Something for the whole family! (well, my family these days).  In addition to the main dish, I made a sweet potato salad that I recently ripped out of "Cooking Light" as motivation to enact my new school year resolution. I think it will be a good potluck item in the future...grad students have a lot of potlucks...another good reason to stay in school for 22+ years

I hope you enjoy!"

Parmesan Crusted Polenta with Sausage-Mushroom Ragout (Gourmet 12/07)

2 pounds precooked polenta (in a tube), cut into 4 (1/2-inch-thick) rounds 1/3 cup grated parmesan 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casing removed 1/2 pound mixed sliced fresh wild mushrooms (I used plain old cremini mushrooms) 1/2 cup dry red wine 1 1/2 cups bottled marinara sauce (I used a can of diced tomatoes and added some basil, oregano, and garlic salt

Broil polenta rounds on a lightly oiled large heavy baking sheet 3 to 4 inches from heat until lightly browned in spots, about 7 minutes. Turn rounds over and sprinkle with cheese, then broil until polenta is golden in spots and cheese is melted, about 7 minutes more.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over high heat until it shimmers, then cook sausage, breaking up lumps, until just cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Heat remaining tablespoon oil in skillet over medium heat until it shimmers, then cook mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add wine and boil, scraping up any brown bits, until reduced by about half, about 2 minutes. Stir in sausage and tomato sauce and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Season with salt.  Serve ragout spooned over polenta.

Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Cranberry-Chipotle Dressing

2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces  (I don't bother with the peeling)

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries (I used dried cranberries)
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 (7-ounce) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce 
• 1/2 cup pepitas (pumpkinseeds)
• 3/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

• Preheat oven to 450°. Place sweet potatoes on a large jelly roll pan. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Bake at 450° for 30 minutes or until tender, turning after 15 minutes. 
• Place remaining 1 tablespoon oil, cranberries, water, and honey in a saucepan. Remove 1 or 2 chiles from can; finely chop to equal 1 tablespoon. Add chopped chipotle and 1 teaspoon adobo sauce to pan (reserve remaining chiles and sauce for another use). Place pan over medium-low heat; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and cook 10 minutes or until cranberries pop, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Mash with a potato masher or fork until chunky. 
• Place pepitas in a medium skillet; cook over medium heat 4 minutes or until lightly browned, shaking pan frequently. Combine potatoes, pepitas, onions, and cilantro in a bowl. Add cranberry mixture to bowl; toss gently to coat.