Wheat Berries and Roasted Squash Pilaf

Isn't this a beautiful dish?
I thought it was and that is why I tore this recipe out of a recent issue of EveryDay with Rachael Ray and wanted to make it ASAP.

I used wheat berries instead of Farro, which added more time to the preparation, but it is completely possible to cook the berries ahead of time and then, you don't have to wait for an hour while they are cooking.

This is a fairly simple dish. Roasted butternut squash, wheat berries, fresh thyme, lemon juice, olive oil, green onions and dried cranberries.
Not too fancy, but you get a little bit of everything-chewy, sweet, salty, tart.

I really liked it. The only thing I would change about it if I made it again would be to take out the dried cranberries (I felt they added too much sweetness, since butternut squash tends to be a little sweet anyway) and add some beans, (maybe garbanzos).

My family was not so kind about this dish. My husband didn't like the squash, my son didn't like the dried cranberries, etc. So, there were a few people around the table who weren't really very pleased with the flavor combinations in this one.

I think it would be a great side dish to a holiday meal (it was intended to be featured at Thanksgiving) and I plan to make it again with a few changes.


Recipe for Farro and Roasted Squash Pilaf
* I used wheat berries instead of Farro

Brussels Sprouts Gratin

Brussels sprouts get such a bad rap.
I am sure it is just because most people overcook them or something.
They are so delicious if they are roasted in the oven with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.

I saw this recipe for Brussels Sprouts Gratin in the Holiday issue of Cooking Light Magazine and wanted to try it right away. I didn't really follow the recipe exactly. I roasted my brussels sprouts in the oven to get them tender (at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes) and then combined them with my cooked bacon in a baking dish. Then I sauteed my freshly ground bread crumbs in a little bit of olive oil, until they were nice and golden, sprinkled them on top and broiled the whole thing for just a few minutes.

Delish! My kids loved this and so did I. I am definitely going to make it again over the holidays, if not for Thanksgiving then around Christmas time.

Give Brussels Sprouts another chance. They are soo yummy!

Recipe for Brussels Sprouts Gratin
* I roasted my brussels sprouts in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes, after they had been tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper
* I sauteed my freshly made bread crumbs in olive oil instead of butter and reduced the amount
* I combined my roasted brussels sprouts and crumbled bacon in the baking dish and omitted the shallots

Corn and Zucchini Saute with Basil

Here is another quick side to help use up all the summer produce!
Fresh corn, zucchini and basil.
This can be ready in a matter of minutes and this might be my favorite way to cook zucchini.
It is barely tender- with a nice crisp bite and so delicious.
Fast, fresh and really tasty. I couldn't ask for anything more.


Recipe for Corn and Zucchini Saute with Basil

Fresh Bean Salad

I found the most gorgeous green, yellow, and purple beans at the Farmer's Market.

I wanted to really showcase the fresh flavor and keep them as crisp as possible, so I found this recipe that just quickly blanches the beans and then dresses them with a very simple dressing made of shallots, fresh lemon juice, dijon mustard, and olive oil.

The key to making this dish so delicious is making sure that you do not overcook the beans. Here are more detailed instructions about how to properly blanch green beans.
If done properly, the beans will be nice and crisp and delicious.

I was a little bit sad that my beautiful purple beans lost most of their color due to the 3 minutes in boiling water. The taste was wonderful though.

This is the my favorite recipe for fresh green beans.

Recipe for Fresh Bean Salad

My Mom's Potato Salad

I know everybody out there has at least one dish that their mom makes better than anyone else in the world.
My mom has many, but when it comes to potato salad, I can only eat my mom's.
I don't like mayo anyway, so if a potato salad is just mayo based- no way am I going to eat it. This recipe has lots of mustard, so the flavor is a little bit different. My mom also makes this with plain yogurt occasionally, which I prefer.
I also don't like potato salad that has too much dressing/sauce. I prefer drier potato salad. This particular time that we made the potato salad together, my mom said it was too "wet".

When my family was in town visiting we served dinner at the homeless shelter and my mom made her potato salad.
We found a good deal on red potatoes, that had a yellow-y flesh, so that is what we used here, but usually a normal baking potato does the job. Because we used red potatoes and the skins were tight, we didn't peel them.
Potato salad is not something that I eat more than once or twice a year, but I know lots of people enjoy it during the summer, at picnics and cook-outs, so it fits with this time of year.
My dad would eat this everyday if he could.

My mom's Potato Salad adapted from Managing Your Meals by Winnifred Jardine
6 medium potatoes
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
8 hard-boiled eggs
1/3 cup dill pickle relish + a little pickle juice, add more relish if desired
3-4 Tbls yellow mustard or Dijon, if preferred
3/4 cup mayo or plain yogurt, more if needed
1 Tbls sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 - 1 tsp celery seeds

Cook, peel, and dice potatoes; combine with chopped onion; set aside. Shell eggs; separate yolks and whites. (Sometimes I discard a couple of the yolks)
Dice egg whites; set aside.
Mash yolks with mustard; stir into mayo/yogurt along with sugar, salt, and celery seed.
Combine mayo mixture with potatoes, onions, egg whites, and pickle relish.
Season to taste.
Cover bowl and chill for several hours before serving.

Curried Vegetable Couscous

This is another great recipe from the Mayo Clinic Cookbook that caught my eye, even though there was not a picture provided alongside the recipe. Kind of disproves something I said the other day about pictures being the inspiration for the dishes I choose to cook and bake, but oh well!

I love anything that has curry in it. Curry powder, curry paste- whatever it is, I love it.
My mom used curry powder in quite a few dishes when I was growing up and I think that is probably part of the reason why I love it so much.

I made this to take to a family dinner as a side dish and it was well liked by everyone which meant I didn't get as much of it leftover throughout the week for my lunch, but at least it was a hit.
It uses whole wheat couscous, which is almost exactly the same tastewise as normal couscous.
You use a food processor to mince celery, carrot, red bell pepper, onion, garlic and gingerroot and then saute the veggie mixture with the curry powder. (That is why the whole dish looks yellow, not bad lighting, just curry powder!)
Meanwhile the couscous cooks up and then you throw the whole thing together. It was so easy and really delicious.

I am going to try it again with quinoa or millet and can't wait to eat it again!


Recipe for Curried Vegetable Couscous

Sauteed Rainbow Chard and Beet Greens

Do you love dark greens as much as I do?
I think I could eat them for every meal and be happy. Kale, Swiss Chard, Spinach, Beet Greens, etc. I love them all.
My grandpa grew beets growing up and what I remember most isn't the actual beets. It was eating the dark, leafy greens and the purple-y ribs. My mom would steam them and they were delicious.
I know a lot of people throw away the greens on top of their beets- The Horror! Don't do it! They are soo delicious.

I found some beautiful rainbow chard, as well as red and golden beets. I was so excited to saute them for dinner!

When I cook swiss chard and beet greens I always cook the ribs and stems. They become quite tender and are very tasty.

Plus, how can you not like eating something that tastes good and looks so beautiful?
I also use this techique to saute spinach, but I don't cover it because it wilts very quickly.
I saute kale too, but always remove the kale from the stems.

Sauteed Rainbow Chard and Beet Greens by Mary Ann
1 Tbls olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch Rainbow Chard, rinsed well and chopped- including stems and ribs
a couple bunches Beet Greens, rinsed and chopped-including stems and ribs
chicken or vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in large saute pan or electric frying pan over medium-high heat.
Add onion and cook for a few minutes.
Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
When onion and garlic are translucent, add your greens and stems.
Using tongs, toss the greens with the onions and garlic, until nicely mixed.
Add enough chicken broth to cover bottom of the pan and cover.
Reduce heat to medium and let greens cook for about 5 minutes.
Stir and check to see if stems and ribs are tender and greens are wilted.
If not, cook a little longer and check every few minutes until ready.
Make sure you do not over cook.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.


One Year Ago-Homemade Happy Meal-Mini Sliders on Whole Wheat Buns and Oven Fries

Simple Side Dish- Summer Squash and Spinach Saute

I really wasn't trying to use as many S's as possible on the title of this post. It just kind of happened.
One of our favorite side dishes is sauteed spinach. I usually prepare it with fresh lemon juice, a little garlic and salt, and some freshly grated Parmesan- like I did HERE or with turkey bacon and mushrooms- Here.
My kids absolutely love it. And I love the fact that they love something so green.

This time I decided to liven it up a little bit and add some summer squash to our spinach.
I sprayed an electric skillet with a little cooking spray and added my squash. Sprinkled on some Italian seasoning and added a couple Tbls of water to keep it from sticking to the bottom.
I sauteed it just enough that it still had a bite to it- no mushy squash for us.
Then I added our spinach and just sauteed it for a minute- just until it was wilted.
Add a bit more Italian seasoning and there you have it- A Super Simple Summer Side Dish.

Happiness Asparagus

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup Kikkoman Stir-Fry Sauce
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 pound lean ground pork
1/4 cup minced onion
3 ounces finely chopped fresh mushrooms
1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed
DIRECTIONS
Combine stir-fry sauce and water; set aside. Heat oil in hot wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and onion; stir-fry 2 minutes until pork is crumbly. Add mushrooms; stir-fry 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low; add sauce mixture to pan. Cook, stirring, until heated through, about 1 minute. Remove from heat; keep warm. Place asparagus in steamer basket. Set basket in large saucepan of boiling water; cover and steam 5 minutes, or until tender, yet firm. Spread half of pork mixture over bottom of serving platter. Cut asparagus crosswise into thirds; arrange in sections over pork mixture. Spoon remaining pork mixture over asparagus. Serve immediately.
Copyright © 2003 Kikkoman International Inc.

Rice Pilaf

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter, cubed
4 cups uncooked long grain rice
2 quarts water
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
10 green onions, thinly sliced
2/3 cup soy sauce
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted
DIRECTIONS
In a Dutch oven, melt butter. Add rice; cook and stir for 3-5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add water and bouillon; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat; stir in the onions and soy sauce. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in almonds

Sauteed Spinach with Mushrooms and Turkey Bacon

This is one of my favorite side dishes. It is healthy, quick and easy. I came up with it and make it whenever I have leftover spinach, but I also buy spinach specifically to make it. My husband and kids love it and always want more. I always use turkey bacon in anything that calls for bacon because it is healthier and it reduces the amount of fat or oil you need to add to the dish. That is one reason I love this recipe because you don't have to add any oil or fat, the turkey bacon has enough yummy stuff to wilt the spinach and make this delicious.

Sauteed Spinach with Mushrooms and Turkey Bacon
9 slice turkey bacon, cut into bite-size pieces
1-2 cups sliced mushrooms
10 oz bag baby spinach
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper

Cook turkey bacon in a skillet over medium-high for a few minutes, until starts to brown. Add mushrooms and cook for a few more minutes, until bacon is getting crispy and mushrooms are tender. Add spinach in bunches, stirring and turning it over to wilt and mix with mushrooms and bacon. Squeeze juice from lemon over the mixture and stir. Add the remaining spinach and cook just until slightly wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, tastes best warm.