panzanella salad

 just yum! from natashaskitchen.com.

ingredients for the salad

• 6 oz crusty bread*, (1/2 loaf) cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 2 lbs ripe tomatoes, cut into small wedges or bite-sized pieces
• 8 oz fresh mozzarella, halved mozzarella pearls
• 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup basil leaves, (about 22 leaves), coarsely chopped, plus more to garnish

ingredients for the dressing

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1/8 tsp black pepper

directions

1. Preheat oven to 400˚F. Place bread in a mixing bowl, drizzle with 2 Tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt. Bake for 9-12 minutes until toasted then set aside to cool. Edges should be golden brown and crisp and the centers should be fully dried through.

2. In a small bowl, combine vinaigrette dressing ingredients and whisk to combine. Set it aside for the flavors to meld while you prepare the rest of your salad ingredients.

3. Place remaining Panzanella salad ingredients into the same mixing bowl you used for the bread. Add the cooled bread. About 10-15 minutes before serving, drizzle on the dressing, adding it to taste. Toss the salad gently to combine.

pearl barley risotto with mushrooms

 this was absolutely delicious but VERY filling. i one-and-a-halved this recipe for my family but turned out not needing to since it was so filling. also, it takes FOREVER to cook. plan for an hour near the stove. found it at seasonsandsuppers.com. i added a tad bit of cream for fun to make it more...creamy.

ingredients

3 T butter, divided

1 shallot, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 lb mushrooms

1/4 t fresh thyme leaves

1 C pearl barley

1/2 C white cooking wine

4 C beef broth

1/4 C parmesan cheese, grated

1/4 C cream for funnsies

salt and pepper to taste

directions

• Heat the beef broth in a saucepan and keep warm.
• In a large, deep skillet, heat 2 Tbsp of the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring, until starting to soften. Add the mushrooms and thyme leaves and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring regularly until mushrooms are tender and lightly golden, about 5-6 minutes. Add the barley and the remaining 1 Tbsp butter. Cook, stirring, for about 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until the wine is absorbed, about 3-4 minutes.
• Add one ladle of the hot beef broth and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring once or twice, until nearly all of the broth has been absorbed. *You don't want to boil the mixture too vigorously, but you do want a consistent simmer. Adjust heat to that point. Continue adding broth, one ladle at a time, allowing the it to cook until the liquid is absorbed before adding another ladle. Cook until all the broth is added. Test the barley. You want it to be al dente. If it is not quite there, add another ladle of hot water (or broth, if you have more available) and cook a bit longer. When barley is cooked, stir in grated Parmesan cheese and stir to combine.
• Season dish with salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste. Serve with additional grated Parmesan and garnish with fresh thyme sprigs or fresh thyme leaves.

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lemon curd

i LOVED this recipe. other lemon curd recipes seem stressful as you're adding in egg yolks and hoping not to curdle them...or as you're futzing with a double boiler...and the amount of lemon flavor and tart-sweet ratio was perfect. thank you, food network!

ingredients 

3 lemons

1 stick butter

2 C sugar

4 large eggs

1/2 C freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/8 t salt

directions

zest the lemons and put in a food processor with the sugar and process til fine. cream butter and sugar mixture. add eggs one at a time, whipping til fluffy each time. stir in juice and salt. cook over low heat in a quart size pan until thickened and not quite simmering, about 10 minutes. let cool.

Pineapple Whip

 

Recipe is by Dreena Burton

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen pineapple chunks

1 cup frozen sliced overripe banana or room temp overripe banana; must be overripe

1/3 cup of non-dairy milk of choice

small pinch salt

2-3 tsp pure maple syrup to sweeten if desired

Instructions

Add all ingredients except maple syrup to a high-powered blender. 

Pulse initially, then puree to blend. Add extra milk if mixture is too thick to blend well. 

Once fully pureed and smooth, add the sweetener if desired. 

Serve or transfer to freezer for an hour or more to set, then serve.

Stir Fry Sauce

1 tbsp sugar 

1 tbsp chickpea miso

3 tbsp tamari

1 tbsp mirin

1 tsp sesame oil 

1 tbsp chili miso sauce

1/2 tsp chili flakes 

1 large clove garlic

1 tsp minced ginger 

1/4 tsp white pepper

1 tbsp arrowroot starch 

Combine ingredients in a bowl until there are no lumps. Store in fridge up to 3 days. If sauce separates during storage, briefly stir before using.

Spicy Cilantro Dressing

by @avocado_skillet

This makes 2-3 servings

1/2 cup cashew butter (sub tahini if sensitive to nuts)
1/2 cup water
1 tsp maple syrup
1/2 cup cilantro
1 garlic clove
1/2 jalapeno with seeds removed

Combine all ingredients in high speed blender. Blend until creamy. Store in airtight container for 5 days. 

This makes a great marinade as well as salad dressing. 

Tuscan kale and white bean soup

 6 large Tuscan kale leaves, stemmed and roughly chopped 

I cannot remember where I got this recipe, but it is very good.

2 cups cannellini beans, cooked and rinsed
1 medium sweet onion 
3 garlic cloves
1 carrot 
1-2 celery stalks
1 14 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes 
1 tbsp olive oil 
4 cups vegetable broth 
1 tsp dried thyme and rosemary each 
1 tbsp miso paste 
1/2 cup water 
Sea salt and black pepper to taste 

Croutons: 
Day old crusty Tuscan (or sourdough) bread, cut into large cubes
1-2 tbsp olive oil 
2 garlic cloves, lightly smashed 


Method:
Finely dice onion, carrot, celery, and mince garlic.
Heat up olive oil in a Dutch oven or deep pan with lid, and sauté onions, carrot and celery for about 10 minutes until lightly browned and fragrant. Add minced garlic towards the end. 
Add thyme and rosemary, and stir for 30 seconds, then pour in the canned tomatoes, vegetable broth, and beans. 
Bring to a boil, cover, and let simmer for 15 minutes. 
Take away 2 cups of the soup, blend with 1/2 cup of water until smooth, and add mix back to the pot. For a more “brothy” soup, omit this step. 
Add chopped kale, and simmer for a few more minutes. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper. 

For the croutons, heat up olive oil, toast garlic until fragrant (set it aside and use it for another recipe), then toss bread in the garlic oil until browned.