Roasted Smashed Yukon Gold Potatoes

If you are russian jewish like I am, you probably grew up eating grandma's fried potatoes. If you are  health conscious reformed Russian like I have become, it's roasted potatoes all the way. I am always roasted potatoes, but but never ever smashed them before. Somehow that extra smash took them to the next level! I made this as part of Father's Day Breakfast for hubby and he was super pleased!

Ingredients:
4-5 yukon gold potatoes
2-3 tablespoons of oil (I used grape)
Salt and Pepper to Taste
2-3 tablespoon rosemary (fresh preferred)

Preheat oven to 450. Leave the baking dish inside so that it's hot when the potatoes are added in.

Wash and pat dry potatoes. Cut into pieces, don't peel unless there are blemishes. Cut into bite size pieces. Toss with oil and salt. Don't add rosemary yet.

Add potatoes to your preheated baking dish/tray. Reduce temperature to 425. Roast about 1/2 hour tossing occasionally. Add rosemary if desired. Once the potatoes are starting to get golden, smash them a bit with a potato masher, spray with a bit of cooking spray or add a drop more oil. Toss and roast another 10 minutes or so.

Enjoy!

Roasted Yucca

Love going out to eat and of course after I try something, I get obsessed with replicating it in my home kitchen. Case in point, yucca fries. Have not really come across yucca and so never attempted it before. Until one day, I saw it in a little vegetable store in my neighborhood.  I wish I had taken a picture of what it looks like in it's natural state, it was a bit intimidating. But after a few google searches, I decided to be brave it and the results were very pleasing.

Ingredients:

1 Yucca

2-3 tablespoons of oil (I used grape)

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

Bring a medium pot of water to boil. In the meantime, peel the yucca with a vegetable peeler. Cut it into 3 or 4 parts (~3 inches each), discard ends.  Cook in boiling water for about 10-12 minutes, unit it begins to split.

Remove yucca from water, allow to cool a little. Cut across horizontally and remove the string that is in the middle. Cut yucca into pieces (any shape is fine).

In a large bowl, toss with oil, salt and pepper.

Roast about 1/2 hour till golden, tossing occasionally.

Adapted from http://innocentprimate.wordpress.com/2008/12/30/baked-yucca-fries/

Zucchini "Spaghetti" with Sausage

This zucchini "spaghetti" is so fun and tasty that you will hardly miss the carbs. I bought a GEFU Spirelli Spiral Cutter  a while ago and has been just itching to use it. This was the perfect dish to test it on. It created amazing spirally spaghetti out of the zucchini! I am in love.

Ingredients (this makes 2 servings)
2-3 zucchinis
1/2 cup of tomato paste
2 links of sausage or chorizo (I used one of each b/c I had them left over in my freezer)
1 shallot diced
2 tablespoons of grape oil (divided)
2-3 Table spoons of shaved parmesan
Salt to taste

Wash and dry your zucchini. I did not peel it though you could. Using your spiral slicer, create "spaghetti." Set aside.

Dice shallots. If you are using sausage, remove casting. If you are using chorizo, cut into small pieces.

Preheat pan with 1 tablespoon of oil. Add shallots, saute till they become translucent, about 5 minutes at medium flame. Add chorizo or sausage. Cook about 7 minutes. Add tomato paste, reduce flame and continue to cook another 5 minutes.

In the meantime, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a second pan. Add your zucchini spirals and cook about 4 minutes.  Plate zucchini if you have liquid on th bottom, try to not get it onto the plate. Top with sausage/tomato and shaved parmesan ( I use a veggie peeler to shave it).

Enjoy!

Farm Fresh Collard Greens with Crunchy Bacon Bits

Collard Greens with Crunchy Bacon Bits

Passing by a farmers market, I could not resist these collard greens. So fresh and tasty.
I knew we were having pork chops for dinner so this was a nice modern twist on a Southern dinner.

INGREDIENTS:
1 bunch of collard greens washed, spun dried, thick stems removed

3-4 pieces of bacon ( I used Oscar Meyer Thick Bacon)

1/3 cup of broth

1 tablespoon of oil (I used grape)

Cook bacon to package directions. Set  on paper towel to absorb oil. Cut up bacon into small bits. I use kitchen shears to do tihis.

Heat a large skillet with oil. Add collard greens. Cook down about a minute, flip over. Add stock and cover. Cook for 3-5 minutes on medium flame mixing about ½ way through.

Add salt to taste and bacon bits. I served this with Brown Sugar Glazed Pork Chops. Recipe here: Brown Sugar and Garlic Glazed Pork Chops

Enjoy!

Brown Sugar and Garlic Glazed Bone In Loin Pork Chops

This was a quick and tasty weeknight dinner! Will definitely be making it again as it was an all around hit. I served this with Collard Greens with Crunchy Bacon.

Pork Chops Cooking in Finished Glaze

Brown Sugar and Garlic Glazed Pork Chops with Bacony Collard Green

Ingredients:

4 bone in loin pork chops

3 peeled and crushed garlic cloves

1-2 teaspoons of Monteal Steak Seasoning

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/3 cup of white wine

1/3 cup of chicken stock

2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

Wash and pat dry your pork chops.

Combine Montreal Seasoning, sugar and crushed garlic. Mix well.

Use half the mixture to rub ONE SIDE your pork chops, you will put this side first.

Pork Chops with Rub on One Side Ready to Go into Pan

Melt butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. Once melted, hot and bubbling, add the pork chops with seasoned side down. Cook about 2-3 minutes.

Flip over and carefully add the remaining rub on the other side of the pork chops. Cook another 2-3 minutes.  Remove to a plate.

Pork Chops with One Side Cooked About to Be Flipped Over

Add wine and stock and scrape off the bits that are stuck. Cook till the mixture is bubbling and beginning to thicken. Add the pork chops back in and allow the glaze to coat them.

I served these with Collard Greens Sauteed with Crunchy Bacon for a  healthier modern twist on southern cooking from this New York gal.

Pork Chops in Glaze All Ready!

Loosely adapted from http://www.food.com/recipe/brown-sugar-glazed-pork-loin-chops-449308

Chipotle and Balsamic Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Strawberries

What can I say, roasted brussel sprouts is one of my favorite veggie sides and I have blogged about them before Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Crunchy Bacon. So when I tried this amazing alternative at a restaurant (Xixa in Williamsburg, Brooklyn) recently, I had to attempt to replicate it. I have to say, the results were great, tasted just like what I was trying to mimic.

All the quantities are approximate. This was enough to serve 2 as side.

4 cups of brussel sprouts halves with outer layer removed
3 tablespoons of aged balsamic vinegar
Chipotle powder (about 1 tablespoon-- more means more spicy)
2 tablespoons of oil (I used grape)
1 cup of strawberries quartered
salt to taste

Preheat oven at highest temperature. My Breville BOV800XL Smart Oven 1800-Watt Convection Toaster Oven with Element IQ convection oven goes to 450. I leave the baking pan in so that it's hot when the brussels are ready to go in. If you don't have a Breville get one, no really regular oven will do. 

Toss brussel sprouts in oil and salt. Reduce heat to 425. Roast about 15-20 minutes tossing occasionally. Add balsamic and chipotle powder. Toss well. Roast another 5 minutes. Add strawberries and roast another 1-2 minutes. 

Zucchini Ribbons Salad with Arugula, Avocado, Toasted Pine Nuts and Herb Marinated Goat Cheese

This salad is transformed from simple to fancy due to zucchini ribbons. No fancy gadgets needed, just use your veggie peeler to slice the zucchini lengthwise into thin slices. I sliced 2 zucchinis into thin slices using the veggie peeler, then cooked them for a few minutes in a bit of grape oil.  I did not use the middle that had the seeds, will reuse later.

Ingredients:

2 zucchini's thinly slices

one table spoon of grape oil

a few tablespoons of pan toasted nuts (I used pine nuts)

goat cheese or shaved parmesan

**(I used marinated goat cheese (recipe by my talented friend Julia found here Marinated Goat Cheese  

but any cheese would do)

Salt to taste

1/2 an avocado

any other veggies you feel like using

For dressing:

1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil (I used oil from the marinated goat cheese)

Juice of 1 lemon

Slice the zucchini into thin long strips. Rotate when you get to the seeded part.  Disgard the seeded middle for another use.  Heat a bit of grape oil till hot. On a medium flame, cook zucchini strips about 2 minutes per side. Salt to taste. Place on a paper towel to drain. Wait till cool to add to salad.

Wash and dry arugula, add avocado. Toss with salad dressing, reserve a little to drizzle over zucchini.  Top with zucchini, nuts and cheese of choice. Drizzle with a bit more dressing.

Voila. Tasty, filling and healthy!

Adapted from http://www.prouditaliancook.com/2010/04/zucchini-ribbon-salad.html

Salad of Warm Tarragon Garlic Roasted Portobellos over Arugula, Radicchio , Sautéed Ramps, Cherry Tomatoes, Red onions and Goat Cheese

I am really glad that summery weather is finally upon us which allows me to go back to eating one meal salads for dinner. To me, salad should be enjoyable—full of color and delicious ingredients and this one definitely fits the bill.

And of course, the beauty of a salad is that there is so much flexibility in what you put in or leave out based on your taste.

INGREDIENTS

Portobello Mushrooms:

2 large or 4 small Portobello mushroom caps

2-3 cloves of garlic sliced thin

2  tablespoons of butter

2  tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves (thyme would work as well)

Salt to taste

1)      Preheat oven to 400. I used my  Breville BOV800XL Smart Oven 1800-Watt Convection Toaster Oven with Element IQ , if you don’t have one, regular oven is fine of course.

2)      Wash and dry mushrooms. Cut them up into 2-2 ½ inch chucks.

3)      Add to a baking dish. I use this one by Le Creuset Stoneware 1-1/2-Quart 9-Inch Square Baking Dish, Cherry

4)      Scatter butter cup up into small pieces, garlic and tarragon over the mushrooms. Cover with foil. Bake for 10-15 minutes.

5)      Remove foil and bake another 20-30 minutes until mushrooms are tender, mixing occasionally and adding butter if needed.

6)      The mushrooms will release a lot of liquid as they cook. I incorporated some of the liquid into the salad dressing, first allowing it to cool off.

SALAD (add/substitute as you see fit)

4 cups of arugula

¼ red onion sliced thin

½ hear of small radicchio sliced thin

6-8 tablespoons of goat cheese

1 cup cherry tomatoes

1 bunch ramp leaves (optional but adds a nice touch)

If using ramps leaves, you will need 1 tablespoon of butter or oil

1)      Wash and dry arugula. Add radicchio, onions and tomatoes.

2)      If you are including ramps leaves, wash and dry them.

3)      Roughly chop and sauté in a skillet (I use this one by Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron 10-1/4-Inch Skillet with Iron Handle, Cherry in a little butter about 5-7 minutes.

4)      Add a pinch of salt. I allowed it to cool and did not dress it with dressing, just threw on top along with goat cheese and cooked mushrooms.

SALAD DRESSING;

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3-4 tablespoons of slightly cooled mushroom liquid that resulted from the baking of mushrooms (optional)

1)      Wisk together. Toss with arugula, radicchio, onions and tomatoes. Top with ramps if using, goat cheese divided into small chunks and mushrooms.

Enjoy! This was a great dinner for my crew—filling and light at the same time.

Baked Lobster Tail with a Spring Salad of Arugula, Ramps and Shucked Sweet Corn

So as a savvy shopper who is also a big time foodie, I am always checking out sales at favorite places that I shop. I am a bit time fan of Fresh Direct (online food delivery service) and they don't  disappoint. Whenever I place my weekly order, I check out their "President's Specials". This week, I was thrilled--a sale on lobster tail, corn and ramps! Got all three and needed to somehow throw them together in a tasty and health conscious way!

Ingredients (Serves 3)
3 lobster tails, about 4 ounces each but bigger would have been even better
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons panko or break crumbs (I used whole wheat panko) 
Ian's Whole Wheat Panko Bread Crumb (3x9 OZ)

Remove your butter and allow it to become soft. If you are pressed for time, soften by microwaving for about 20 seconds.
Wash and dry your lobster tails. Next, you will need to carefully slice across the hard shell vertically (the long way) as well as across one or two times near the tail. This is a pain but will allow you to pill the shell back so that you can flavor the lobster tail while cooking it. There are many youtube videos showing you how to do this so if you are confused, go ahead and google for one.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I used my Breville BOV800XL Smart Oven 1800-Watt Convection Toaster Oven with Element IQ but regular oven will do of course. 

Combine your softened butter with lemon juice and paprika. Mix well.

Place your lobster tails on a baking tray. I covered mine with foil to reduce clean up. Top with butter/lemon/paprika mixture. Spring panko on top--this will allow the butter mixture to stay in place on the lobster tail. Bake at 350 for about 7 minutes, broil for additional 2 minutes. Your lobster is cooked when it's a bright pinkish red.

I served this with salad but of course the options are aplenty-- rice pilaf, roasted or mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, linguine, etc.

Ingredients for Salad
5 cups of arugula washed and spun dried
Kernels removed from one corn
1 bunch of ramp leaves and ramp bulbs (washed, spun dried and kept separate)
Oil or butter for cooking ramps and corn
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon of brown sugar

Dressing:
Juice 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons of ponzu or soy sauce Kikkoman Ponzu Sauce, 10-Ounce Bottle (Pack of 3)
1 tablespoon oil ( I used grape from Trader Joe's)
Mix well

RAMPS:
Wash and dry your ramps. Separate leaves from bulbs. Roughly chop the leaves and set aside. Chop bulbs, you will cook them before the leaves.
Heat oil or butter in a skillet. I use this one Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron 10-1/4-Inch Skillet with Iron Handle, Cherry.  Add bulbs and a splash of broth. Cook about 8 minutes, mixing frequently. Add leaves and another splash of broth. Cook till leaves start to shrink and broth is absorbed. Add salt and pepper to taste.

CORN:
Shuck corn. Heat oil or butter, add corn kernels, cook for about 3 minutes. Add a teaspoon of brown sugar and pan cook another 2 minutes.

Allow corn and ramps to cool a bit. Toss arugula with dressing. Top with corn and ramps. Serve with a side of lobster. This salad would also be great with shrimp, scallops or even a baked fish.

Enjoy!

Baked Lobster Tail with Spring Salad

Lobster Tails with Butter, Paprika, Lemon and Bread Crumbs Before Going in the Oven

Cauliflower Roasted with White Truffle Oil

It doesn't get more simple and delicious in my book. This roasted cauliflower tastes decadent. So good that you will keep eating till it's gone. Absolute best straight out of the oven!

Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower cut into florets about 1/3 inch each, washed and well dried
3 tablespoons of oil of your choice. I used white truffle this time, have used grape in the past (all good)
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 425. I use my amazing Breville Smart Oven to roast all my veggies (amazon link in side bar). Regular oven is fine too.

Toss your washed and dry cauliflower florets in oil. Add salt. Roast till nice and golden brown, about 1/2 hour. Mix occasionally to get it to brown evenly.

Serve straight out of the oven if possible or reheat on a hot skillet.

Enjoy!!!!