Still slowly plugging away on catching up on weeding the garden. The vegetable beds are done, but the flower beds are in need of a complete overhaul. Between the yarrow (nasty evil! it is, nasty!) the cone flowers (who would've thunk that cone flowers could get so...overwhelming?) and the frikin' grass, at least three beds need to be dug out and redone. And we need to order some more wood chips for our garden paths. Landscape fabric is showing through.
Fit in another mid-week Twins game. Dodged the raindrops - rained on the way down and on the way back, but not during the game. Twins lost, but I finished knitting one market bag, started another, and got half of my bookgroup book read. Good day if you ask me!
Some decent recipes below. The Caramelized Onion and Zucchini Quiche was outstanding.Highly recommend that one.
Barley Salad with Parsley and Walnuts (From Food and Wine Mag, May 2008)
Needed something for lunches. Wanted to try and use some pantry items. This fit the bill. I had barley, walnuts, parsley (garden!)...and planned ahead to have some leftover grilled chicken that I could toss in for some protein. I also added some wheat berries (LOVE them). I did not have ricotta salata, put tossed some shredded asiago/parmesan on top.
Active Time: 40 minutes
SERVES: 6
Barley is versatile enough to be served warm or at room temperature, as in this terrific salad with walnuts, parsley\ and salty bits of ricotta salata cheese in a lemon-garlic vinaigrette. It can be served as a main course or as a side for grilled chicken or pork.
1 1/4 cups pearled barley (9 ounces)
1 cup walnut halves (4 ounces)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup packed flat-leaf parsley leaves --- some said use a bit less
4 ounces ricotta salata, crumbled (about 1 cup)
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the barley over high heat until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain the barley and rinse under cold water to cool thoroughly. Drain again, shaking out the excess water.
2. Meanwhile, spread the walnuts in a pie plate and toast for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden and fragrant. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool. Coarsely chop the nuts.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the lemon juice with the olive oil, garlic and lemon zest and season with salt and pepper. Add the barley, parsley and ricotta salata and toss gently. Add the toasted walnuts, toss again and serve.
MAKE AHEAD The salad can be refrigerated overnight.
Zucchini and Caramelized Onion Quiche(Ckng Lght, Aug 2012)
Okay, the recipe below is with my changes. If you want the original recipe, follow the link. With that said, this was really good. I would make this again in a heartbeat, maybe even following the recipe a bit more closely. If you need to be GF, use cornstarch instead of flour as thickener, and skip the crust completely. Basically you make it a fritatta.
I didn't have a zucchini like I thought I did, but I had a small yellow squash. I had some portobello mushroom caps in the fridge and I can't resist a mushroom/egg combination. I like my quiche more on the eggy side, so I increased the eggs from 3 to 4 and decreased the milk to 3/4 cups. This makes great leftovers - serve with a side of asparagus, or a side salad to round out the meal.
Silky caramelized onions, which you can cook on the weekend, flavor this beautifully simple dish.
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| picture from CookingLight.com |
1/2 (14.1-ounce) package refrigerated pie dough (such as Pillsbury)
tablespoon olive oil
1 cup (or one small) yellow squash, thinly sliced
1 small portobello mushroom cap, sliced
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 onion, thinly sliced and caramelized
1% low-fat milk
1 1/2 tablespoons
1/2 teaspoon
4 large eggs
2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated (about 1/2 cup)
1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Roll dough into a 12-inch circle. Fit dough into a 10-inch deep-dish pie plate. Fold edges under; flute. Line dough with foil; arrange pie weights or dried beans on foil. Bake at 425° for 12 minutes or until edges are golden. Remove weights and foil; bake an additional 2 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
3. While oven is warming and pie crust waiting to bake, heat 1 tbsp oil and 1/2 tbsp butter in a large skillet. Add thinly sliced onions, cover and cook over medium heat. Stir occasionally to encourage browning. I like to add a tich of salt and a tich of sugar to encourage sweating and sweetening. When a beautiful golden brown or caramel brown, remove from heat and set aside.
4. Reduce oven temperature to 375°.
5. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl. Add squash and mushroom.. Sauté 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Cool slightly.
6. Arrange caramelized onions over bottom of crust; top with zucchini mixture. Combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, milk, flour, pepper, eggs, and cheese in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Pour milk mixture over zucchini mixture. Bake at 375° for 35 minutes or until set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
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| picture from cookinglight.com |
1 tablespoon honey
8 (1-ounce) slices whole-wheat bread
4 (1-ounce) slices Swiss cheese
5 ounces thinly sliced Granny Smith apple (about 1 small)
8 ounces thinly sliced lower-sodium deli turkey breast
1. Combine mustard and honey in a small bowl. Spread one side of each of 4 bread slices with 1 1/2 teaspoons mustard mixture. Place one cheese slice on dressed side of bread slices; top each with 5 apple slices and 2 ounces turkey. Top sandwiches with remaining 4 bread slices. Coat both sides of sandwiches with cooking spray. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sandwiches to pan. Cook 2 minutes on each side or until bread is browned and cheese melts.
Phoebe Wu, Cooking Light
SEPTEMBER 2012
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