Orange and Goat Cheese Salad

I hope everyone had a great holiday and enjoyed time with friends and family. This year for Christmas Eve dinner I did a seafood lasagna. I am quite sure some of you might desert me if I write up one more thing containing orange or orange zest. I love citrus though. I believe citrus is the most underutilized powerhouse of the kitchen. Don’t believe me? Next dish you make, sweet or savory either squeeze some fresh lemon, lime or orange unto it or use a little fresh zest from one of these beauties. It just picks up a dish. It adds a layer of flavor that makes all the difference in the world. The only key with citrus is to add it at the very end. It gets bitter if cooked too long.

This is just a simple salad. It contains only lettuce (your choice), onion, toasted walnuts (pine nuts would be great too), orange and goat cheese or feta. I made this salad twice. The first time I simply used a very good EVOO and a ton of fresh pepper. For Christmas Eve dinner I used a bit of vinegar, EVOO and again a ton of fresh pepper. It was the perfect salad for a seafood meal and pretty as well.

Rosemary Pasta

I am behind on posting. We had a lot of heavy food that went a long way and then I have been lazy of late. This is easy and so good. Add some chicken or shrimp for a protein if you want. I suspect you could use any fresh herb (oregano, basil) to do this, I just love the rosemary so much I have never strayed. Since this is really simple the Parmesan is a real stand out in this. Get some good stuff. I recommend hands down Locatelli. However, if you don’t want a big block go to Ukrops you can by the end pieces and it will cost your near nothing. Plus you can use the extra on popcorn (yummy).
½ lb pasta
¼ olive oil
½ stick butter
1-2 spring fresh rosemary
Fresh Parmesan
Start pasta, while that is cooking melt butter and oil in a pan. When the butter mix just starts to bubble, throw in the rosemary and take off the burner. Allow rosemary to steep in the butter for 5 minutes or more. Once pasta is done, remove rosemary and toss with pasta. Serve immediately with fresh grated cheese over.

Goat Cheese and Pine Nut Spinach

1 tbs olive oil
1 bag spinach
¼ c. soft goat cheese
2tbs pine nuts
Salt and pepper

Heat oil in skillet. Add spinach, turning often. After about 2 minutes. Add goat cheese and nuts and cook for about 1 more minute. T

The doneness of this is based on your preference. I like my spinach, just wilted. However, you might like it cooked through. I will say, if you like it a bit less done, take it off the stove before you think it is done because it will keep cooking. A good rule of thumb is about the moment you think, “One more minute and this will be done.” Take it off.

Another way of doing wilted spinach and a favorite of mine as well is:
2tbs olive oil
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
¼ blue cheese
¼ c toasted walnuts

Heat oil and vinegar in skillet. Add spinach turning often. After about 2 minutes add cheese and nuts and cook for about one more minute.

Cilantro Salad/Tabouli

1 c. bulgur
2 c. boiling water
¼ onion
2 medium tomatoes
1 bunch cilantro chopped
¼ c. lemon juice
2 tbs olive oil
Salt, pepper
Put bulgur in boil and cover with boiling water. Stir and cover bowl. Let stand about ½ hour or until water absorbed. Add remaining ingredients and refrigerate for about an hour or moor until cool.
I owe this recipe to my cousin. I was a tabouli purist. Then one time I went to visit her and she had put corn and carrots in her tabouli. How odd, I thought. It was so good. From then on I got much more experimental with what I added to my bulgur. However, I realized the other day… I always used parsley. Why… why not cilantro. I have to say, if you like cilantro…and I do, try it. You will wonder why you didn’t before.

Wild Rice Salad

My Aunt, god bless her, goes with her husband on these remote camping trips in Alaska. While I imagine lovely, as I have stated before, not my cup of tea. Lucky for me she brings back this great wild rice and I don‘t have to suffer a life without bathrooms to have it. The type she normally gets takes quite some time to cook. The type she brought back this time cooked in much less time. So good. This really came out good and is totally guilt free. If you don’t have the bulgur, brown rice would work. If you don’t have the wild rice, try the wild rice packages, just leave off the seasoning.
1/3 c. bulgur
1/3 c. wild rice
1 celery stalk chopped
2 TBS onion chopped
¼ large cucumber chopped
1 carrot chopped
Juice of one lime
1 TBS olive oil
Salt Pepper
1 tsp dill
Cook bulgur and rice and let cool. Combine and add celery, onion, cucumber and carrot. Mix. In a bowl combine lime, dill and oil. Mix and poor over rice. Salt and Pepper to taste. This doesn’t make a ton, so if you are making this for more than four adults or trying to use it for more than just a side, make double.

Curried Peas

2 c. frozen peas defrosted (don’t boil)
¼ c sour cream
1.5 TBS sweet curry powder
1 tsp lemon
Salt

Mixed together serve chilled.

None of That Mushy Stuff Please

I am lucky because I love vegetables. Rutabaga, you bet! Brussels Sprouts, bring it on! Kohlrabi ..alrighty. Collards….not so much. However, I spent the vast majority of my life here in Richmond and so every encounter I had with a collard was... well… like a bad blind date…lifeless and I saw no potential. Then one day someone was talking about how much they loved collards. This is a person I was confident was not a mushy veggie eater. So, I asked how she cooked them, and a convert was born. If you have never had them, I suspect if you like wilted spinach or broccoli rabe you would like collards. They are far, far more course, which is one thing I adore about them. I think they are actually less bitter then wilted spinach. We are having them tonight with some leftover pork. I can’t wait.

1 Bunch of Collards
3 Heaping tablespoons a minced garlic
2 TBS Olive Oil
Dash of ground red pepper (optional, I like the wee kick)
Salt and pepper.

Okay collards can vary greatly. Some places you get them the greens will have NO grime in them and some places the greens are chocked full of grime/sand. To be sure, fill you sink with cool water, and soak them. Change water a couple of times. Honestly, I think the best source of collards is actually Food Lion. Once they are clean chop them up (I personally like mine sliced to form almost like a fettuccini noodle, but that is just my deal). I also like a good part of the stem, however, I would tell you if it is your first time using them, skip the stem. Heat ½ of olive oil and a couple of tablespoons of garlic. If you are making the whole bunch (as I do, they really cook down and are great leftover), you will not be able to get all into your pan. Fit what you can in there and loosely put a cover over you pan if you can, after a minute or so, stir and add more. Keep working in batches and once you have ¾ of the collards in the pan, put in the rest of the oil and garlic. Cook until all of the greens are wilted (some will be a bit more wilted, but again collards are so course they really can stand the longer cooking time). When they are done, really depends on you. Season to taste. You will be a convert.

Herbed Bulgur Salad

2 C. uncooked Bulgur
2 C boiling water
1 C. diced tomatoes
3 TBS lemon juice
1 TBS olive oil
1/8 C. Parsley
1 TBS oregano, packed
1 Tsp. thyme packed
1 TBS basil packed
30 chive stalks
½ c, Feta
Salt and pepper to taste
Place raw bulgur in big bowl. Boil water and pour over bulgur. Cover bulgur and set aside. Meanwhile, in food processor, process all herbs until fairly fine. Once bulgur cooled add herbs, tomatoes, lemon, oil and feta. Stir and season.