Published by mel on August 29, 2008 in entree and recipe.
Pasta’s easy. It’s usually the first food you learn to cook, and the food that sustains you throughout your penniless college days. It’s good, fast and cheap, and there’s nothing to not love about that!
So, when I need to make a quick lunch before work it’s often pasta that’s my first thought. The hard part is figuring out how to make a healthy, well-rounded meal with it. As with most things carb, I find that I can sit down and eat at least a 1/2 pound of simple, buttery pasta on my own. But me and my bikini know that it’s probably not a good idea.
So, I try to have as much “stuff” in my bowl as I do pasta. This week, that stuff happened to be spicy Italian sausage, broccoli, rainbow chard, goat cheese and walnuts. A well-rounded meal chock-full of vegetables, protein and those venerated Omega 3’s. Best of all, it traveled well, filled me up and made a very delicious little lunch.
Continue reading ‘easy sausage, greens & goat cheese pasta’
Published by mel on August 20, 2008 in recipe and sides & bites.
Everyone’s had a classic Waldorf salad right? Sliced or julienned apples, celery, walnuts and mayonnaise? Wikipedia says the Waldorf salad dates back to 1893 and was first served at The Waldorf Hotel (later the Waldorf-Astoria of many-movie fame). It’s sweet and tangy and crunchy. Perfect for a summer BBQ, you can make it a few hours in advance and best of all, you only need four ingredients.
The classic Waldorf is great. If you’ve had it, you know it’s pretty perfect. But some people don’t like mayonnaise. Some people want something more inventive. Some people (me) just can’t leave a recipe alone. So, I’m proposing some variations and twists on the original recipe. There’s really no way to mess this up, so feel free to play with the proportions and substitute anything you think might work here. Just make sure you taste it constantly so you know you’re on the right track.
Some twists on the classic (recipe for that below):
- Substitute thinly sliced fennel for half of the apple amount
- Add tarragon to the classic
- Add thinly sliced Napa cabbage (or sub for half the apple amount)
- Substitute plain Greek yogurt for the mayonnaise
- Add some curry powder to the classic (or yogurt version)
- Substitute any other nuts for walnuts
- Add fresh basil, cilantro and mint (would be perfect in combination with the Napa cabbage)
- Make it your own
Continue reading ‘classic waldorf salad, plus some twists on the original’
Published by mel on June 16, 2008 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.
I just got back from a weekend away in beautiful Maine. I was hoping to post this before I left, but never got around to it. Here it is in all of its delicious glory.
Summer’s here and the stone fruits are starting to appear in huge quantities. I love nectarines and often bring them to work for my mid-morning snack. Although tasty, they’re really not ideal for eating at your desk. Usually, I end up bent over the trash can as the juices run down my fingers and drip everywhere. Not very attractive.
If you want to avoid creating such a scene at work, another way to eat those nectarines that I’m sure are piling up in your fruit bowl (aside from a delicious crumble) is to use them in a salad. They provide a nice substitute for the juicy tomatoes which have unfortunately disappeared from stores nationwide, lest we all become infected with salmonella.
The jerk chicken is a nice compliment for the sweet nectarines and goat cheese and vinaigrette give it enough of a bite to curb the fruit’s sweetness. Just add some walnuts for crunch and you’ve got a perfectly well-rounded summer salad.
Continue reading ‘jerk chicken, nectarine & goat cheese salad’
Published by mel on March 4, 2008 in entree and recipe.
Lately, paninis are everywhere I look. On the cover of Gourmet, inside Food & Wine, on the internet. Last night, I felt the need to satisfy the grilled sandwich craving. Since I don’t have a panini maker or grilling device, I’ll just call it a grilled cheese. Mine was stuffed with thinly sliced green apple, red onion, Jarlsberg & Cheddar cheeses and crisp watercress.
I also thought it would be fun to make some dipping sauces. I always love to dip my sandwich triangles in something tasty, so I made two yogurt sauces: super spicy Sriracha and curry. I was partial to the Sriracha (because I’m obsessed with it), but they were both tasty and complemented the sandwiches well.
I also made a nice green salad with fennel, arugula and walnuts, simply dressed with olive oil, a splash of sherry vinegar, salt and pepper. It was a lovely light meal for a weeknight that really inspires experimentation with different sandwich fillings and dipping sauces.
Continue reading ‘grown-up grilled cheese’
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