Recipe Review from 6/21/21

For Father's Day weekend the Husband and I took the Folks to Sapsucker Farms, Mora, MN. The Husband had been previously, the rest of us had not. The weather was perfect for sitting outside on the patio (puppy friendly), we enjoyed a flight of cider (Classic, Ginger, Lemon-Basil, Rhubarb, Barrel Aged, Cranberry, Cayanne, Wildflower, and Apple Pie). The group of us really liked the barrel aged and rhubarb. Though they were all good. We enjoyed some delicious BBQ from the food truck and then a lovely walk around the trails on the farm. A most excellent adventure!

Oregon, 2018

The Meal Plan:
Sat (L) Sapsucker Farms (S) Bread Salad
Sun (L) Salmon (S) Bread Salad
Mon (yoga/bkgrp) leftover salmon
Tues - leftover salmon
Wed (yoga) bread salad
Thurs - eggs in sauce
Fri - leftover eggs in sauce

Lunches - lentil and bulger salad (Moosewood cookbook) for me; sandwiches for the Husband


Sweet Heat Salmon (Eating Well, April 2021)
This is another easy to assemble dish that does give the option of grilling or broiling. As the broiler never really works for me, and it stinks up the house, I went with grilling. I did use red raspberry preserves, but unfortunately forgot to look at the label and found I had picked a jar predominantly "high fructose corn syrup". Argh. Oh well. No time to return, went with it anyway.

This was tasty, definitely more "sweet" than "heat", so I was glad for the extra sliced jalepenos. Don't skip the arugula salad - the tangy greens helped balanced out that sweetness and added a nice crisp crunch. There was plenty of sauce for 2lbs of salmon, so you could make more fish, or cut the jam concoction in half. If you do make more fish and plan on having as leftovers, don't dress with the glaze until serving.

Photo from eatingwell.com

Serves 6 (I got two meals for two, plus one meal for one)

¾ cup fruit preserves, such as blackberry or peach, pureed
6 tablespoons water
1 jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
2 cloves garlic, chopped
¼ cup white-wine or cider vinegar
1 ½ tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce (see Tip)
2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice, divided
1 ½ pounds skin-on salmon fillet
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups packed arugula
1 cup thinly sliced radishes
¼ cup fresh mint or chervil leaves, torn
Lemon wedges for garnish

Combine pureed preserves, water, jalapeño and garlic in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, 10 to 15 minutes. Add vinegar and tamari (or soy sauce) and cook until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 4 to 8 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon (or lime) juice.

Meanwhile, preheat grill to medium-high or broiler to high. Brush salmon with oil and sprinkle with salt.

Oil the grill rack or place the salmon on a rimmed baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Grill or broil the salmon, skin-side down, until it flakes easily with a fork, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on thickness. Using 2 large spatulas, carefully transfer the salmon to a platter. Top with the warm glaze.

Bread Salad with Kale, Beets and Blue Cheese (modified from Milk Street Tuesday Nights)
Kale! Beets! Bacon! Blue cheese! A delightful combination that is perfect for a light supper when it's 80* outside. This does have bacon in it, and the bacon could easily be omitted. There will be a bit of loss of flavor - maybe mushrooms would be a good umami substitute? Don't care for blue cheese? Substitute feta or even crumbled goat cheese. Either would be deliscious.

I did deviate from the original recipe a tich - I sauted the bread cubes in the bacon fat rather than the olive oil. Seemed a shame to waste that bacon-y flavor. And I served the blue cheese and bacon on top of the salads rather than tossing as those little crumbles just fall to the bottom of the bowl.

I really liked this, I liked the simplicity, I loved the flavors. Recommended!

Serves 4 (I got two meals for two out of this)
1 medium shallot, minced
2 tbsp sherry, cider or red wine vinegar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
5 oz rustic bread (I used a ww sourdough) cut into 1" pieces (about 4 cups)
6 oz lacinato kale (I bought two bunches since you lose weight pulling the stems off)
coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
8-oz package cooked beets, cut into 6 or 8 wedges
1 tbsp honey
4 oz blue cheese, crumbled

Stir together the shallots and vinegar, set aside.

In a 12 inch non-stick skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until browned and crisp. Transfer to a paper towel and set aside (reserving 1 tbsp of the bacon fat).

In the same skillet, add the bread and cook, tossing ferquently and lower the heat slightly if the pan begins to smoke. Cook until bread is golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, toss the kale with 1/4 tsp salt and massage gently with your hands. Add the bread and beets, toss to combine.

To the shallot mixture, whisk in the 2 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and honey. Add to the kale mixture and toss. Divide salad amongst four bowls or plates, top with blue cheese and bacon. Serve.

Eggs with Sausage and Peas (modified from Milk Street Tuesday Nights)
PUT AN EGG ON IT!! And this simple dish does! A saucy tomato mixture, with a poached egg on top and sprinkled with feta. This diffrence between this and the Middle Eastern dish (whose name I'm completely blanking) is this isn't served over bread. Bread is along side for dipping. Yum yum yum.

Serves 4 (I got two meals for two out of this)

I'm going to have to point you in the direction of your library for this one - check out Milk Street Tuesday Nights.