Spring is in the air! Okay, not technically, but it feels that way looking at the bright bouquet of daffodils on my counter. I love springtime and the gifts it brings: sunnier days, seasonal farmer’s market produce, daylight savings time, and the most impressive of them all -mini Cadbury eggs & jelly beans; I cannot wait!
When the weather warms, it’s nice to eat lighter. Since I just went to my farmer’s market this weekend, I decided to cool-it-down in the kitchen, and make something fresh and bright! I know what you might be thinking, but we won’t be using Easter candy in the making of this meal…we’ll save that for later in the month! However, we will be using local farmer’s market spinach, baby sugar beets, honey tangerine, and if those aren’t fresh enough, we’re topping this off with homemade Green Goddess Dressing. It’s light, full of fresh herbs and it’s green, so it has to be good for us.
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This salad will find its vegetable balance with the additions of creamy goat cheese crumbles, sliced red onion, and some lightly toasted pistachios for crunch. I think the green goddess is a great compliment to the sweetness of the beets and tangerine. Really, the salad gives us an excuse to eat copious amounts of dressing, but the good news is it’s healthy. This colorful creation would be awesome for a luncheon, or just to feed your own face, and here is how you can…
Spinach & Beet Salad with Goddess Dressing
A fresh spring salad of spinach and baby beets, gets a kick from a quick & healthy version of green goddess dressing. This is easy and light and not to mention, very tasty! What to get... What to do... Make Dressing:
- In food processor or blender, combine yogurt, sour cream, salt, pepper chives, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, zest, and pulse to mix well.
- Next add white wine and avocado, and blend till smooth consistency with no large chunks.
- Transfer dressing to bowl and store in fridge until ready to use.
Make Salad:
- In pan on stove, lightly toast the salted pistachios for a minute or so, stirring constantly, then chop coarsely, and set aside.
- Roughly chop cleaned spinach and toss with a couple of tablespoons of green goddess dressing, put in salad bowl.
- To spinach add the sliced beets, tangerine segments, red onion, goat cheese crumbles & pistachios to desired amounts.
- Top salad with extra green goddess dressing as preferred.
Notes this is easy and the green goddess dressing will save in the fridge well for over a week. The dressing is also delicious on proteins and for dipping veggies! 2.2 http://www.dinnervine.com/2013/03/spinach-salad-green-goddess-dressing/ from the kitchen of www.dinnervine.com
Starting with the leafy layers. we build our bowl with a fresh farmer’s market variety of savoy spinach. I buy this Indian, curly variety when in season from a local grower, Rodney Farms, at my local farmer’s market. It’s heartier than the more common flat leaf spinach & tastes freshly fantastic! I’ve previously praised the health benefits of spinach on the dinnervine, especially in our garlic spinach & tomato pasta, and I still try to eat it several times per week. This salad makes that easy to do, but we’re not stopping the nutrition there, oh no. We’re going to include antioxidant rich beets and honey tangerines, and the dressing? First thing that comes to mind with most dressings is they’re fatty, which equals unhealthy. Ours however, will have a base of Greek yogurt, freshly chopped herbs and avocado. No mayo. No oil, and you won’t miss them one little bit.
I find with spinach there are some leaf logistics to consider: washing fresh-from-the-farm-spinach, especially curly varieties is a must! Though this spinach is organic, it takes some time to clean thoroughly. I like to embrace some temporary OCD on these occasions and triple-wash mine. I rinse spinach bunches with cool water, submerge into a large bowl with cool water for several minutes, swish…rinse and repeat! (that almost sounded like a Pantene commercial) but regardless, you’ve gotta clean the green! I do this to ensure there are no critter stow-aways that may still be hanging around, and I don’t need any pet caterpillars at the moment.
I store my rinsed spinach once air-dried, in gallon zip-lock with a paper towel inside to absorb any residual moisture. If you don’t have fresh market spinach, then the packaged and pre-rinsed baby spinach from the store is great too…and you don’t have to wash it 200 times, which will just leave more time for eating dressing…
Ring-in-Spring in your kitchen, with a bowl of goddess-inspired goodness!
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Posted in all, appetizers, dinner, farmer's market, recipesTags: baby beets, chives, curly spinach, goat cheese, goddess dressing, Greek yogurt, green goddess dressing, healthy dressing, herbs, honey tangerine, lemon, parsley, pistachios, red onion, salad, salad dressing, savoy spinach, sour cream. healthy, spinach, spinach and beet salad, spinach salad, Spring, Spring salad, sugar beets, tangerine
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Chocolate mystery hearts, stuffed bears dressed like Cupid, and an overabundance of pink, seem to be oozing out of every store I find myself in. This only means one thing – Valentine’s Day is now upon us. Today in fact! This Hallmark-driven holiday isn’t solely reserved for smitten gift-card giving, but also for a little something sweet for your Sweet. Chocolates are the conventional dessert of choice; however, this year I opted to create a confection worthy of a cozy romantic evening. Red wine, spiced balsamic vinegar, delicate pears, and rich mascarpone come together in a special dessert, best shared with your better half. Oh, and don’t forget the nice bottle of wine while you’re at it…
I’m trying to incorporate more fruit into my diet (well, I wrote it down on my to-do list at least) and I love fresh pears of almost every variety. There is something mildly sweet & clean about them, which makes ripe pears perfect for baking, and in this case, poaching with a flavorful sauce. Though, the real inspiration for this dish came when I sampled a seasonal balsamic vinegar at my local WeOlive. They were featuring a Mulled Spiced Balsamic this winter, which shined with aromatic flavors of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg, though was still very subtle. I fell in love with this one immediately, and though it would be great with oil for dipping bread, I knew it would compliment a dessert perfectly! I love to use various balsamics over fruit, like strawberries & blackberries, but I thought that the red pears on my counter deserved a go, and so I found myself reducing a slightly acidic/semi-sweet sauce, and poaching these bad boys ’till perfectly tender. Great on their own, but I felt we needed to make this one extra decadent given the occasion, with rich & creamy mascarpone cheese & cinnamon. It is indulgent, and I’m okay with that…
Wine Poached Pears with Balsamic & Mascarpone
A dessert perfect for a romantic night, using delicate pears and poaching them with red wine and a mulled balsamic vinegar, complimented by some smooth mascarpone cheese. Happy Valentine's Day indeed! What to get... - 2-4 red pears, ripened
- 1 cup red wine (I used a Sangiovese I had open)
- 1/4 cup Mulling Spiced Balsamic Vinegar (or steep a bag of mulling spices if unavailable)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1T honey
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp vanilla paste (or extract)
- ~1 tsp fresh orange zest
- pinch of Pink Himalayan sea salt (to taste)
- ground cinnamon
- ~2T - 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese (depending on # of pears & preference)
What to do... - In medium sauce pan combine wine & mulled balsamic and gently warm on low.
- To warmed mix on stove, add the sugar & honey, whisking to dissolve well.
- Add cinnamon stick, and bring to a boil on medium-low, reducing heat to low & simmering to reduce liquid to thicken somewhat.
- Prepare fresh pears by gently peeling, and coring from bottom, leaving stem intact.
- In small, glass baking dish, place pears upright & pour over sauce, letting the remaining sit at bottom of dish.
- Drizzle pears with honey.
- Poach pears on 325 degrees, basting by spooning over pan sauce every 5-10 min, for ~40 min, or until very tender when tested with a fork.
- Prepare a serving dish with ~ 2T of mascarpone per pear (less or more to preference), sprinkle very lightly with cinnamon & place poached pears on top, spooning over some of reserved sauce from dish.
- Top with fresh orange zest, dash of pink sea salt & garnish with a mint or rosemary sprig.
Notes This is very easy and if you only do 2 pears at a time, you can store the leftover red wine-balsamic sauce in the refrigerator in an airtight container for a week, and use again. Depending on the ripeness of the pears, the cooking time may vary considerably. 2.2 http://www.dinnervine.com/2013/02/wine-poached-pears/ from the kitchen of www.dinnervine.com
Perfectly easy to prepare, and this one would also marry-up well over rich vanilla bean ice cream, or Greek yogurt. Though, I virtually never buy mascarpone, and it is a welcome & decadent deviation from my standard yogurt. Mascarpone is essentially an Italian cream cheese, and comes in flavored varieties, but I went with the plain and just added the cinnamon for just a touch of spice. Our poaching sauce is full of vibrant flavors, which will tie the dish all together, so we don’t need much other than that and the pears! I think this is great for a romantic night-in, or for a dinner party dessert. Valentine’s Day may mean long lines, overpriced gifts, and a 2 hour dinner wait, but it is certainly one darn good excuse for making something sweet.
Happy Saint Valentine’s Day to you, and however you’ll be spending it, I hope there is dessert!
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Posted in all, desserts, fresh bakedTags: balsamic vinegar, holiday dessert, mascarpone cheese, mulled pice, pears, poached pears, red pears, red wine, red wine poached pears, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day dessert
Recently, I was at the grocery store to buy yogurt and mysteriously ended up in the cracker isle with a box of Cheez-Its in my hand. Very curious, considering the yogurt is nowhere near them. I was about to put the box back, but then had a reminiscent glimpse of my Mom crumbling them as a topping for the occasional chicken casserole. Chicken breasts in fact were chilling in my fridge waiting to become the night’s tacos, but these cheesy snack crackers insisted I take them home. I decided dinner would go a different direction. I love to make comforting casseroles on chilly nights, and thought I’d turn the chicken and some on-hand ingredients into a one-dish meal. I’m a huge fan of chicken & rice with mushrooms, and I’m equally fond of broccoli cheese bake, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone, and join them harmoniously together. And so, a delicious Chicken & Rice Broccoli Casserole with mushrooms and cheese, was born. This dish would also be boasting a crunchy topping, with the help of our newly purchased crackers. The result? An upgraded home-style casserole with tasty texture!
Luckily, I had the components for this already, and used fresh broccoli florets, and crimini mushrooms. Though you could use frozen broccoli and canned button mushrooms if you’ve got them, but I like to grab fresh vegetables whenever I can. Since the dinner menu was decided early, I had time to marinate the chicken breasts in Italian dressing for several hours in the fridge. This gives us a little extra flavor & seasoning. Then it’s only a matter of skillet cooking the chicken, steaming the broccoli and making some rice. Mix all ingredients together, put them in a dish, crumble-on said crackers, bake and…Voilà! You have a very satisfying dish with some good-for-you vegetables & a lean protein, and well…some Cheez-Its…and umm, they fall into the cheese food group I’m assuming. *Warning: Consuming 1/3 box of addicting, baked-cheese snack crackers in the preparation of this dish is not recommended… not that I would know from personal experience or anything…
It’s time to put down the crackers & cook…
Chicken & Rice Broccoli Casserole
An easy all-in-one, homestyle casserole combining the goodness of chicken & rice, with broccoli, mushrooms and cheese! We get a nice crunchy texture with the help of some Cheez-it style, baked cheese crackers that make a delicious crust! Perfect dinner with family or friends. What to get... - 3 chicken breasts (medium sized)
- ~4 cups fresh broccoli florets, steamed & chopped chunky
- 4 cups cooked white rice (I start with 2 cups uncooked with chicken broth in a rice cooker)
- 2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced (I prefer crimini)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced or finely chopped
- 1 (10.75 oz) can cream of chicken soup (low fat)
- 1 (10.75 oz) can cream of mushroom soup (low fat)
- 1/2 cup light sour cream (I prefer Daisy brand light)
- 1/2 cup milk (I used non-fat)
- 1 (8oz) bag shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- ~3/4 cup Cheez-It or baked cheddar crackers (crumbled for topping)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt (add more to taste)
- 1/4 tsp ground mustard
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- *1 cup Italian dressing, for marinating chicken (I prepare Good Seasons variety with red wine vinegar)
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What to do... - Preheat oven to 350 degrees and oil a large casserole dish.
- Marinate fresh chicken breasts in Italian dressing for a few hours, in the refrigerator.
- Remove marinating chicken from fridge ~20 minutes before cooking, to bring closer to room temp.
- Cook chicken on skillet adding all remaining marinade juices, until cooked-through, set aside and when cool, chop.
- Cook 2 cups uncooked white rice to package directions (I cook with chicken broth in a rice cooker).
- Steam broccoli florets until just tender, but not too soft, then roughly chop into larger chunks.
- In a large bowl combine canned soups, sour cream, milk, salt, pepper, ground mustard & shredded cheese, whisking to thoroughly mix.
- To mixture, gently stir in minced garlic, sliced mushrooms, cooked/chopped chicken breasts, chopped steamed broccoli & rice, combining well.
- Evenly pack mixture into prepared casserole dish (enameled or glass) and crumble baked cheese crackers on top as crust, pressing crumbles down slightly with a spatula.
- Bake casserole in preheated oven for ~30-40 minutes, checking throughout to make sure cracker crust is not over browning (if so, tent casserole with foil towards end).
Notes This is easy and the prep is cooking the chicken breasts, steaming broccoli and cooking rice all at the same time (20 min or less). Then we mix all ingreds together and bake until hot! If there are leftovers, this one stores well in the fridge and reheats well in the oven!
Add more shredded cheese if you prefer this one cheesier! 2.2 http://www.dinnervine.com/2013/02/chicken-and-rice-broccoli-casserole/ from the kitchen of www.dinnervine.com
Loving the creamy texture of this, and keeping the chopped ingredients chunky makes for a hearty and rustic plate. I made enough for friends and even had some leftovers, but I wasn’t bummed about that in the least! This one is already on the radar again for later in the month. You can easily add more cheese and seasoning to your taste, but definitely don’t skimp on the crunchy cracker topping, it makes for one ridiculously easy and unique crust… I guess wandering down the wrong aisle at the grocery store has its perks, enjoy!
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Posted in all, dinner, recipesTags: broccoli, broccoli and cheese casserole, cheddar cheese, cheese cracker crust, Cheez-It crust, Cheez-it topping, chicken and rice, chicken and rice casserole, chicken breasts, chicken casserole with rice, Chicken Divan, cracker crust, cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, crimini mushrooms, easy casserole, easy weeknight meal, low-fat casserole, rice, shredded cheese, sour cream
It’s that time when the new year commences, in which I try to implement some healthier cooking & eating habits. You know, your standard, eat-more-green-vegetables-and-less-mac-&-cheese resolutions. Though, some of my healthy plans will need to be put on hold temporarily, due to pressing circumstances… NFL… Football…. Playoffs. Oh yes, it’s serious football viewing time, and with the only 2 games left until Superbowl, we have to get our game day snacks in gear. Something about kale & carrot sticks just doesn’t scream football, so we’re just going to have to suffer through a few more Sundays of delicious appetizers. With so many snacking options, what should we make? Usually it’s a game time decision for me. I go with whatever sounds good at that moment, or use what ingredients I have on hand. However, this Sunday I already know what is on the menu, and it starts with a little something you’ve seen before on the dinnervine – bacon. Well, there’s more to it than just that, though I’m not above simply serving-up some crispy strips & enjoying a blissful bacon coma. Though, we’re going to get a little more creative with my take on a bubbly Hot BLT Dip.
BLT’s make their appearance here fairly often in one form or another, but we’re turning all the flavors of the coveted Bacon-Lettuce-Tomato sandwich into an easy party app. There are many recipes out there I’ve seen for both cold and hot versions, but I opted to use of cream cheese and sharp cheddar cheese that I use commonly for other dips. I can assure you, this one will get devoured faster than you can crack open your second game day beer. This dish is dairy-based, with a only few ingredients. It is rich; though I created my recipe using lower-fat varieties of sour cream, cream cheese, mayonnaise & shredded cheddar cheeses. After pre-crisping the bacon, we bake our deliciousness for about 20 minutes in the oven, and serve with slices of a lightly toasted sourdough baguette.
So get all your greens in Saturday because come Sunday, bacon’s in the lineup!
A BLT fit for football! This dip is a little lighter but tastes very indulgent with the flavors of a fresh BLT sandwich. Easy & a crowd pleaser! What to get... - 1 package bacon (strips crisped on stove)
- 1 basket's worth of small red pear or grape tomatoes (deseeded ~1.5-2 cups chopped)
- 2 green onions chopped finely (greens & whites)
- 3 green onions chopped (green portion only - 2 for dip & 1 for topping)
- 1 T garlic minced
- 1 8-oz block of Neufchatel cheese (A low-fat version of standard cream cheese, softened)
- 1 cup sour cream (Light, Daisy brand)
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise (Light, Best Foods brand)
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (2% milk fat cheese)
- 1 cup Colby-Jack shredded cheese blend
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- black pepper & kosher salt to taste
What to do... - Soften cream cheese to room temperature on counter.
- In large skillet, or in batches crisp bacon slices from one package, drain on paper towels, set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Prep small red grape tomatoes, by cutting crosswise, and simply 'squeezing' out seeds/guts to deseed tomatoes (may help to use small cocktail fork).
- Chop deseeded tomato halves & set aside.
- Chop green onions finely, setting aside one of the chopped greens for topping dip before serving.
- Peel garlic cloves & mice to get enough for ~ 1T worth.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine softened cream cheese block, sour cream, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, and shredded cheeses well, using a thick wooden spoon and then a large whisk.
- To the cheese mix, add chopped tomatoes, onions, garlic, salt and pepper to taste, just stirring to incorporate evenly.
- Next, crumble all of the crisp-cooked bacon slices into the mix, combining until just incorporated.
- Oil a small-medium ceramic baking dish or 8" pie dish and evenly spread BLT dip mix.
- Bake in 375 degree oven for ~20-25 minutes, when dip is heated throughout and bubbly.
- Let dip cool slightly out of oven & then toast sliced sourdough baguette lightly in oven (couple of minutes).
- Serve dip hot with warm sliced bread & top with freshly chopped green onion.
Notes This one is easy & you can pan cook and crisp the bacon a day ahead as helpful. This one bakes up in only 20 minutes and stored well leftover in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap. Make sure the bacon is cooked on the very crispy side and even though I use lower fat versions of the dairy ingredients, you won't be able to taste it, because this is very rich and satisfying! 2.2 http://www.dinnervine.com/2013/01/hot-blt-dip/ from the kitchen of www.dinnervine.com
A little bacon, a little pigskin, the perfect combo! You may be wondering where the ‘L’ is in our BLT, but there is something about hot lettuce that sounds like a hot mess to me… So, instead we’re using fresh green onion to give our dip some extra flavor, and take the place of the leafy green. You also can add more tomatoes if you fancy. I used the entire basket of little grape tomatoes, and would have added more if I had extra, and hey, they make this healthy right?! Just make sure to deseed the lil’ guys so your dip isn’t full of tomato guts. I think warm and toasted sourdough baguette slices are the perfect vehicle for eating this, and together really give us the taste of the homemade sandwich. You can also use tortilla chips and change it up; bacon doesn’t discriminate. I am excited for this game this Sunday, though truthfully, I think I’m more excited about the food!
Enjoy this dip with some football watching-friends, and you’ll have a true winner, even if the same doesn’t go for your favorite team…
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Posted in all, appetizers, recipesTags: appetizer, bacon, bacon lettuce tomato, BLT, BLT sandwich, cream cheese, dip, football appetizers, football dip, football party, grape tomatoes, green onion, Hot BLT dip, NFL playoffs, party dip, pear tomatoes, red grape tomatoes, sour cream, Superbowl, tomato
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
My trip down South has ended, and I’m already fondly reminiscing over the great times & many wonderful dishes. Recently posted were tasty peppermint cookies & collards and black-eyed peas, but there is one Southern staple I miss already – sweet tea. May seem simple, but if you’ve been to the South, you’d be hard-pressed to find a kitchen or restaurant not serving a chilled pitcher of this easy-drinking variety. It’s not that I can’t make it at home, I do make tea occasionally, but there is something addicting & refreshing about a good pitcher of the sweeter kind.
One local restaurant is known for their awesome sweet tea with mint & great lunch specials, and it’s a favorite when I visit Atlanta. Mittie’s Tea Room Cafe is located in both Historic Roswell and Historic Downtown Alpharetta, and for over 25 years Mittie’s has been charming locals & visitors with their hospitality. I remember going there as a kid, and loving their delicious iced tea and famous chicken salad! I was lucky enough to have the chance to visit Mittie’s for lunch over Christmas, and was again delighted by the country charm of their Alpharetta tea room. Mittie’s is nestled within a historic country cottage, donning charming hand-painted tea pots, and country inspired decor.
Their menu offers both a country breakfast and lunch fare, but I always find myself ordering ‘Katie’s Delight’ consisting of their famous Chicken Salad Croissant, side of house lobster bisque and a harvest green salad. The chicken salad is unique, and full of white meat chicken, almonds, grapes, a little mayo, and a secret spice blend. All goes perfectly inside a buttery, freshly-baked croissant if I do say so! Soup and salad are pretty ordinary lunch options, but there is something exceptional about Mittie’s menu that keeps people coming back for years & years…
Inspired by my trip to Mittie’s, and the tea my family made daily over the holidays, here is a classic Southern Sweet Tea recipe I know you’ll love! Did I mention it’s as easy as boiling water? See, I knew you’d like it too…
Sweet tea is refreshing staple in the South, that you can easily make & savor any season! A few standard ingredients is all you'll need! What to get... - 4 family-size black tea bags (Like Lipton brand)
- ~5 cups drinking water (plus ~2 cups after first steeping)
- 0.5 - 1 cup white sugar (to taste)
- Lemon wedges for serving
- Ice Cubes for serving
- *You will need a large beverage pitcher.
What to do... - Bring a medium pot of water and tea bags to a rolling boil on low.
- Once boiling, cover with a lid or saucer, and turn off heat letting tea bags steep in pot for about 5-8 minutes.
- Pour warm/hot tea into large glass pitcher, reserving tea bags in the now emptied pot.
- Run warm water over tea bags in pot, and add to warm tea already in pitcher. (about 2 more cups worth).
- To warmed pitcher of tea, add 0.5 -1 cup sugar mixing well (add sugar to taste for desired sweetness).
- You can transfer pitcher to refrigerator and store, or leave room temperature covered if consuming quickly.
- Serve tea in glasses over ice cubes to chill, with lemon wedges on the side!
Notes This is seriously easy and seriously good. Many Southern sweet teas are in fact, very sweet, but you can add less sugar to your taste. 2.2 http://www.dinnervine.com/2013/01/southern-sweet-tea/ from the kitchen of www.dinnervine.com
You might be thinking this is just like making any iced tea, and you’d be correct! Though, what sets this sweet tea apart is in fact the ‘sweet’, our white sugar, is added at the right time! We add the sugar directly into the pitcher while our tea is still warm-hot. This allows the sugar granules to completely dissolve & incorporate throughout. Now you won’t have to fool with awkward sweetener packets to make each glass…
Our tea also has a deep flavor, because we do not add ice into the pitcher. In the past I’ve filled the pitcher with ice cubes to chill our steeped tea, but that ultimately dilutes its richness. It just makes sense to serve our undiluted brew, instead over ice in individual glasses.
Now I’ve got this sweet tea stuff down, and I’m ready to whip-up a fresh pitcher! Though I can’t be sitting on Mittie’s charming porch, I’ll have to enjoy my next sweet glass from the West Coast…
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Posted in all, recipes, restaurant reviewTags: Alpharetta, Atlanta, chicken salad, chicken salad croissant, Historic Roswell, iced tea, Katie's Delight, lunch, mint iced tea, Mittie's Tea Room, Old Alpharetta, restaurant, Roswell, sweet tea, tea, tea room
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