Mexican Polenta Bowl

This is a great variation on my recipe for goat cheese polenta with roasted veggies and fried egg.  I was in the mood for Mexican food for dinner, but I didn't have any tortillas in the house.  So, I figured polenta might be a good substitute.  I was right - it made a perfect base for refried beans, roasted vegetables, salsa, and Cheddar cheese.  You can also use any other ingredients you'd normally put in your tacos - perhaps grilled chicken or seasoned ground beef if you want to take this in a non-vegetarian route.  This dish is comfort in a bowl, and really easy to pull together for any number of servings.

Mexican Polenta Bowl
Serves 1, but easily multiplied

1/2 small bell pepper, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/2 small summer squash, chopped into bite-sized chunks
1 large slice from a sweet onion, chopped into bite-sized pieces
Canola oil
Aleppo pepper salt (or salt and pepper, or salt and red pepper flakes)
1/4 cup polenta
1/2 cup milk
Salt and pepper
1/2 T butter
1/4 cup refried beans, heated through
Cheddar cheese
Salsa

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Toss the peppers, squash, and onion with the oil and Aleppo pepper salt.  Spread in an even layer on a foil-lined baking sheet, and roast until softened and slightly charred, stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, cook the polenta.  Place the polenta in a small, nonstick saucepan along with the milk and season with salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, and then lower heat to a low simmer, stirring often.  Add additional water as needed to keep the polenta relatively loose, and cook until softened.  Stir in 1/2 T butter until melted.
3. Scrape the polenta into a bowl.  Top with the refried beans, and then the roasted vegetables.  Top with grated cheese and/or thin slices of cheese, and a few spoonfuls of salsa.

Oatmeal Griddle Cakes with Greek Yogurt and Berries

These whole grain buttermilk pancakes make a fantastic easy breakfast, and probably with ingredients you have around the house (except the buttermilk - but you can always just sour some milk with a bit of lemon juice in a pinch).  They come together quickly, and make a small batch so that you won't be flipping pancakes all morning.  Although they contain mostly whole grains, they don't taste overly heavy at all.  I like to serve them in a slightly less sweet way than normal pancakes, with honey Greek yogurt and berries.  The Greek yogurt is still slightly tart despite the honey, and the rich texture really goes well with pancakes. You can add the berries while you're cooking the pancakes (sprinkle a few on the uncooked side before flipping), or sprinkle them on at the end.

I went with the latter route since I was planning to freeze my extra pancakes for even easier breakfasts during the week.  I definitely recommend this - just cool the first couple of batches on a wire rack (just like baking cookies) and then eat the last batch of pancakes while it's still hot.  By this time, your first pancakes should be ready to freeze.  Wrap them in parchment or wax paper, making sure each pancake is separated by a layer of paper.  Then tuck into a freezer-safe bag, squeeze out the air, and pull out pancakes as needed over the next week.  Just pop them in the toaster for instant breakfast over the next week!  You might want to cook pancakes for the freezer over lower heat so they don't get as brown, since the toaster will definitely make them, well, toastier.  :)

Oatmeal Griddle Cakes with Greek Yogurt and Berries (adapted from Gourmet Magazine)
Serves 2-3 (I got 12 small pancakes, so judge this based on your appetite)

1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 large egg
3 T butter, melted and slightly cooled
Spray oil
Honey Greek yogurt and blueberries, to serve

1. Whisk together the oats, flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
2. Whisk together the buttermilk, egg, and butter in a small bowl or 2-cup liquid measuring cup.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and whisk just to combine.  Let sit for about 5 minutes.
4. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat.  When it's hot, spray with oil and then spoon small circle of batter into the skillet, working in batches.  When bubbles appear and break on the top of the pancakes, flip and continue to cook until the tops spring back when lightly pressed.
5. Hold cooked pancakes in a 200 degree oven until all are done, or cool on a wire rack if planning to refrigerate or chill extra pancakes (this will help keep them from getting soggy).
6. Serve with honey Greek yogurt and blueberries.

I'm sending this recipe off to BSI: Breakfast! 

Jam and Honey Muffins

I had a big muffin craving and this recipe really hit the spot.  I love how they're not overly sweet and that they have a slightly heartier texture from the white whole wheat flour.  These muffins are seriously addictive - definitely hard to stop eating!  I think they're best warm out of the oven, although they hold up well after they cool as well.

I made these muffins with some fantastic jam that my friend Sara and I canned last summer.  I find it a little sweet for sandwiches, but it's perfect for baking in a recipe like this one.  It combines strawberries, raspberries, and a little chocolate liqueur for a truly decadent treat. I think it would also be fantastic on some fancy scones, as a filling for cake, or in homemade danishes. 

Jam and Honey Muffins (adapted from Serious Eats)
Makes 10-12 muffins

4-1/2 ounces (3/4 cup) all purpose flour
4-1/2 ounces (3/4 cup) white whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk (I used 1%)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1/4 cup good-quality honey
1/2 cup sweet jam, such as Sundae in a Jar, recipe below

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and spray a 12-cup muffin tin with oil.
2. Whisk together the flours, baking powder and salt.
3. In a separate container, whisk together the milk, oil, vanilla, egg, and honey, making sure that the honey is completely dissolved.
4. Using a rubber spatula, quickly fold the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined (don't overmix!)
5. Add the jam to the batter and barely fold in so that there are still streaks of jam through the batter.
6. Divide the batter among the muffin tins (you may get 10 or 12 muffins - play it by ear).  Bake until nicely browned and a tester comes out clean, about 20 minutes.  Run a knife around each muffin while they are still warm to make sure they don't stick (the jam will get stickier as it cools). 

Sundae in a Jar (from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving)
Makes 6-7 half pint jars

2-1/2 cups crushed strawberries
1-1/3 cups crushed raspberries
6 cups granulated sugar
1 pouch liquid pectin (such as Certo)
1/3 cup chocolate liqueur

1. Combine the berries and sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring often.  When the berries come to a full rolling boil, boil 1 minute, stirring constantly and vigorously.  Remove from heat.
2. Immediately mix in the pectin and liqueur.  Stir slowly for 3 minutes and skim off any foam that forms.
3. Ladle jam into jars, leaving 1/2-inch of headspace.  Screw on lids, and then store in the fridge or freezer, or process in a boiling water bath for five minutes for longer storage.

 I love this photo - the muffin looks like a rocket about to take off!

Sesame Steak Salad with Asian Pears

This steak salad has a long list of ingredients, but it's fairly easy to pull together - mostly they just get whisked together or chopped and tossed into a salad.  I love all the different components of the salad - peppery radishes, sweet and crunchy Asian pears, soft lettuce, and a little bite from the scallions.  And the dressing is delicious - it has good sesame flavor and a nice balance of richness and acidity.  Plus, it's hard to go wrong with topping your salad with steak!  The marinade for this steak was absolutely delicious and added a lot of flavor to an already flavorful cut of meat (We used flat iron, but something like sirloin or strip steak would be fine too).  The marinade did burn in the pan a bit (especially the parts that ran off into the oil rather than sticking to the steak), as I note below, but the steak was none the worse for the wear.  This one is definitely a winner!

Sesame Steak Salad with Asian Pears (adapted from Fine Cooking)
Serves 2-3

1 large clove garlic, minced
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
3 T mirin
2 T fresh lemon juice, divided
1-1/2 T soy sauce, divided
1 T toasted sesame oil, divided
Salt and pepper
3/4 pound flat iron steak, cut into two pieces and tendon removed (the butcher should do this for you if you ask)
1 T rice vinegar
1 tsp fish sauce
1 T sesame seeds
Vegetable oil
1/4 small seedless cucumber, halved and thinly sliced
1 medium Asian pear, about 8 ounces, thinly sliced
1 scallion, green parts sliced on the diagonal
2 romaine hearts, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 radishes, thinly sliced

1. Whisk together the garlic, ginger, mirin, 1 T lemon juice, 1 T soy sauce, 1-1/2 tsp sesame oil, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper in a container large enough to hold the steak comfortably.  Add the meat, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar and fish sauce, along with the remaining 1 T lemon juice, 1/2 T soy sauce, 1-1/2 tsp sesame oil, and 1 T sesame seeds.  Set aside.
3. Cool the steak.  Heat enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat.  When it shimmers, remove the steak from the marinade and add it to the pan.  Cook until rare or medium rare, flipping the steak once.  Keep a close eye as the marinade has a tendency to burn (but don't worry too much if it does - ours burned quite a bit when it hit the parts of the pan around the steak, but the steak itself remained un-burnt and super yummy).
4. Remove the steak to a plate and cover with foil.
5. While the steak rests, combine the cucumber, pear, scallions, romaine, and radishes in a salad bowl.
6. After the steak has rested for at least 5 minutes or so, slice it thinly against the grain.  Toss the vegetables with the salad dressing and top with the steak.

FFwD: Quinoa, Fruit, and Nut Salad

The French Fridays with Dorie recipe for this week was a pretty quinoa, nut, and dried fruit salad that I absolutely loved.  I used a really pretty tri-color quinoa from the bulk bin at the store, and mixed it with dried peaches, golden raisins, sunflower seeds, and chopped pecans.  I changed up the dressing a bit, mixing together Meyer lemon juice, fresh ginger, olive oil, salt, and pepper. This was all served over mixed greens, seasoned just with salt and pepper.  I was worried the greens might be too dry - I pretty much never serve greens without some sort of oil or dressing - but it actually worked perfectly with the quinoa salad and the topping of plain Greek yogurt.

Although this dish was terrific as-is, I dressed up some of the leftovers for lunch with some crumbled lamb-rosemary sausage.  Wow! This made the salad even yummier, and the flavors of the lamb went really well with everything else.  Overall, I was very impressed with this salad and I think it makes a for the perfect easy, healthy, and tasty lunch.  Although the recipe says it serves four, I got three servings out of a half recipe - one right when I made it, and two as leftovers over the next few days.  The salad keeps really well, making this an excellent make-ahead lunch that can be packed for the next day.

FFwD: Scallops with Caramel-Orange Sauce

I'm back from an amazing week in France at the Taize community (plus one whirlwind day in Paris!).  I'll post photos soon, but today I wanted to share a fantastic dish I made last week, just before I left.  Tim and I cooked Dorie's scallops with caramel-orange sauce, which were absolutely delicious.  I haven't ever cooked scallops before, but they were a breeze - just a couple of minutes on each side made for perfectly browned-on-the-outside and tender-on-the-inside scallops.  The sauce was also a winner, though making caramel always stresses me out a bit (I've had more than one burned batch before).  This one worked very well though, combining caramelized sugar, orange juice, white wine (we used a bit of sparkling wine from a bottle we had open), and butter.  It was fantastic on both the scallops and the roasted asparagus we served on the side. I would definitely make this sauce again, and I think it would be great on other veggies or ships. 

FFwD: Salted Butter Break-Ups

This week's recipe for French Fridays with Dorie was a quick and easy cookie recipe that comes together in the food processor.  It sort of reminds me of pate sucree (sweet tart dough), but with a little more salt.  Once the dough comes out of the food processor, it's chilled and then rolled out and baked as a big sheet - much easier than cutting out the cookies individually!  The cookies were not-too-sweet, and even could have been a little saltier for my taste.   In any case, they're definitely highly addictive and I was a big fan.  The ones near the edges got browner and crispier, while the middle cookies were a little chewier - I really liked both types!  I made a few changes to this recipe - I skipped the egg wash because I discovered we were out of eggs and it was 10:30 pm, and I also skipped the cross-hatch pattern due to plain laziness.  I think this probably caused the cookies to be less browned and not quite as pretty, but they were still totally delicious.

On another note, I'm headed to France this week for Spring Break! I'll be traveling to Taize, France for a week of spiritual renewal and global community with a group of 13 students from my church.  This means I won't have access to the Internet while I'm away, and won't be posting here regularly...in fact, even this post is one I scheduled earlier in the week since when this posts I'll be in the air on my way to Paris!