Recipe Review from 7/19/21

Chaotic week! I was in the Twin Cities for a three day training while the Husband coped with the Lil' Devil and Lil' Monster. Which means not much in the way of new recipes.  .

New Bee Center at the Arboretum in Chanhassen, MN

The Meal Plan:
Sat (L) (S)
Sun (L) (S)
Mon (Twin Cities)
Tues (Twin Cities)
Wed (Twin Cities) - leftovers - "taco salads"
Thurs - leftovers "taco salads"
Fri - take n bake pizza

Lunches - scrounged, Jimmy Johns


Mediterranean Farro Salad (Gimmie Some Oven) vegetarian w/vegan options
I love this kind of grain based salad. Make on Sunday, pack and eat the rest of the week for lunches. Simple, tasty, healthy, filling, good! Only one small substitution - I used white wine vinegar instead of red wind vinegar as I was out of the red. And I skipped the red onion. I did cook my farro in the instant pot, and I wished I had skipped the stock because you do end up having to drain. Seemed wasteful for the small amount of "flavor" the stock may impart into the grain. Recommended!

Made 4 servings as written

3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup uncooked farro, rinsed and drained
1 large cucumber, seeded and finely-diced
2/3 cup finely-diced roasted red peppers
1/2 cup finely-diced sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
half of a small red onion, finely diced (about 2/3 cup)
1/4 cup finely-chopped fresh parsley
Greek vinaigrette (see ingredients below)

Greek Vinaigrette Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
pinch of garlic powder
pinch of salt
pinch of black pepper

Stir together stock and farro in a medium saucepan, and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Remove from heat, and drain off any extra stock once the farro is cooked. Let farro cool for at least 10 minutes.

Transfer farro to a large mixing bowl, and add in remaining ingredients, including the vinaigrette. Toss until combined.

Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

To Make The Greek Vinaigrette:

Whisk all ingredients together until combined. Use immediately.

Recipe Review from 7/12/21

I think I discussed the grilled veggies and tortellini salad last week. Super simple dish that's great for summer produce. Grill zucchini, red pepper, red chili (or jalapeno), and scallions. Cook up a (16oz) package of tortellini. Make a vinaigrette. Combine. Eat. Yup, that simple. Recipe can be found in The Garden of Earthly Delights cookbook.

Spokane, WA 2015

The Meal Plan
Sat (L) sandwiches (S) Grilled veggies and tortellini
Sun (L) grilled veggies and tortellini (S) Dinner with Folks
Mon (yoga) grilled veggies and tortellini
Tues (Grand Rapids) grilled veggies and tortellini
Wed (yoga) chef salads
Thurs - brats and Mexican corn
Fri - leftover brats

Lunches - sandwiches, fridge items, out

Grilled Mexican Street Corn (A Spicy Perspective) vegetarian
I did a significant modification on this one: I used a bag of frozen corn, sauted until lightly browned in a large pan, cooled slightly, then proceeded with assembly. I didn't use all my dressing - I'm not sure if it was just too much, I over estimated 1/4 cup, or I underestimated how much corn I needed.

This was super simple, had great flavor, and is a versatile side dish.

Photo from A Spicy Perspective

Served about 4-6 as a side
6-7 ears fresh corn, any color (I used 4 cups frozen corn)
1 cup diced red bell pepper
3/4 cup chopped scallions
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup crumbled cotija cheese (feta is a good substitute)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and pepper

Preheat the grill to high heat. Shuck the corn and remove any remaining silk strands. Once the grill is hot, grill the corn for about 2 minutes per side, 8 minutes total.

Allow the corn to cool, then use a serrated knife to cut the corn off the cobs. (my tip - place corn on its side on a cutting board, with a chef's knife, cut off kernels. Flip corn to cut side and repeat.)

To a salad bowl, add the diced bell pepper, scallions, and cilantro to the grilled corn. Toss to mix.

In a smaller bowl whisk the mayonnaise, lime juice and paprika together. Toss the dressing into the salad.

Finally toss in the cheese, reserving a little to sprinkle on top. Taste, then salt and pepper as needed. Sprinkle cheese over the top and serve.

Recipe notes: This salad can be made several days in advance. Cover and chill until ready to eat.

Recipe Review from 7/5/2021

This week was a meal plan emphasizing simplicity while we adjust to having a puppy and the puppy adjusts to us. The taco salad was a recipe I've had around for years, origin long forgotten. I suspect it was either a Wishbone or Hidden Valley Ranch promotional recipe. Maybe. I had recipe for tortellini with grilled vegetables on (from Garden of Earthly Delights) but the taco salad and fish dish had more leftovers than anticipated so the tortellini dish was pushed to the weekend. Lunches were sub sandwiches, something I could assemble in the morning while there were two of us watching the dogs.

And, unlike parts of the West Coast, we dropped down into the 40's over night (I did hear the outskirts of Superior, WI had 37*, and Brimson, MN, just north of Duluth had 30*), and 60's during the day. A bit unusual for July but we needn't have worried - we were back to 80* by the weekend.

Boston, 2008.  Being quirky.

The Meal Plan:
Sat (L) Leftover corn soup (S) taco salad
Sun (L) lefotver soup (S) taco salad
Mon (off)L sub sandwiches (S) taco salad
Tue - Aqua Pazza (fish in tomatos)
Wed (yoga) leftover fish
Thurs leftover fish
Fri - take n bake pizza

Lunches - "Fancy" sub sandwiches


Taco Salad (origin - ??)
This is your basic 1980's potluck salad. It can be made ahead, just don't add the chips until just before serving or keep on the side and let folks add separately.   Over time I've come to prefer kale and or Swiss Chard for my greens, cherry tomatoes instead of regular tomatoes because they aren't as runny, regular corn ships over Doritos, and I cut back on the Hidden Valley Ranch mixture.

1 head of lettuce (I used kale and Swiss Chard)
1 pound ground beef (can use ground pork, chicken, tempeh, or meat of choice)
1 can black beans OR pinto beans, drained
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut into halves or quarters
4 oz grated cheddar cheese
1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch dip and dressing
4 oz Wishbone Italian dressing
1 pkg corn chips (Doritos was in the original recipe, I use plain corn chips now.)

**My note - I prefer to serve the corn chips on the side because I really don't like soggy chips.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground meat and onions and cook until no longer pink. Add beans and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.

Combine remainder of ingredients, add meat mixture, tossing to combine.

Seves 4-6 as a main, 6-8 as a side. Leftovers will last about 2 days in the fridge.


Aqua Pazza (Eat Better, Feel Better: My Recipes for Wellness and Healing, Inside and Out by Giada DeLaurentiss) This was the only recipe I was able to make out of the cookbook before I had to return it to the library. Unfortunately, I forgot to make a copy of the recipe and it was a good one! I'm still undecided about getting the cookbook, I may put my name back on the hold list and try a few more recipes. I had at least four more fish recipes flagged as "to try".

Aqua Pazza was simply fish simmered or poached in a tomato mixture. It came together fairly quickly with minimal prep and was light enough for a hot summer evening. The fennel was the perfect flavor counterpoint with a teeny bit of heat from ground chili flakes. Not quite a soup, not quite a stew, best served with some crusty bread to soak up the extra sauce at the bottom of the bowl. I would absolutely make this again.

**Below is from memory - may not be exactly as written in the cookbook

Serves 4.

1 fennel bulb, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes
1/4 tsp chili flakes
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups water
salt and pepper
4 (6 oz) filets of cod, or other firm whitefish
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

Fennel and onion were sauted until just starting to soften, add chili flakes and white wine. Add the water and fish. Cover and simmer until fish is cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes depending on thickness of fish. Season to taste. Serve with fresh parsley.

Ocean Prey by John Sandford (Lucas Davenport #31, Virgil Flowers #13

Ocean Prey by John Sandford
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jacket Blurb: An off-duty Coast Guardsman is fishing with his family in the Atlantic just off south Florida when he sees, and then calls in, some suspicious behavior in a nearby boat. It's a snazzy craft, slick and outfitted with extra horsepower, and is zipping along until it slows to pick up a surfaced diver . . . a diver who was apparently alone, without his own boat, in the middle of the ocean. None of it makes sense unless there's something hinky going on, and his hunch is proven correct when all three Guardsmen who come out to investigate are shot and killed. They're federal officers killed on the job, which means the case is the FBI's turf. When the FBI's investigation stalls out, Lucas Davenport of the U.S. Marshals Service gets a call. The case turns even more lethal and Davenport needs to bring in every asset he can find, including a detective with a fundamentally criminal mind: Virgil Flowers. Librarian's note: as of 2021, there are 31 volumes in John Sandford's Lucas Davenport "Prey" series and 13 in his "Virgil Flowers" series. The latest for each, "Ocean Prey," was published in April 2021. It is part of the "Prey" series but Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers share the billing; it is considered the most recent in both series. Read as an audio book.

I am writing this on the assumption you've read most of the previous books in both series.
This was kinda straight up/classic John Sandford with an interesting melding of Davenport and Flowers. I greatly enjoyed this one - there's one "Aw...jeez..." moment, just enough dramatic tension to keep the plot interesting but not overly anxiety producing, and it bounces fairly equally between Davenport and Flowers.

Sanford must have hit a nerve with some folks in his previous Lucas book, because there was a fair amount of ethical discussion or explanation occurring between our sub-characters regarding what Lucas did. Not so much was Lucas right or wrong, but how Lucas handled the situation and how said sub-character would handle any future situation should they find themselves in one. Perhaps that's why this book took Davenport away from the scene of the crime (so to speak) and put Virgil in the line of fire. Pure speculation on my part.

Bottom line, I enjoyed this latest installment. Not a lot of time spent in the antagonist's heads, all my favorite characters make an appearance and the characters I don't care for didn't. In some regards, character development was minimal in this one and I was completely okay with that. The story just churns along quite nicely on it's own.

Lastly, Richard Farrone is an excellent narrator and I'm thrilled that he's been the narrator for all 31 Davenport books. What would have made this an outstanding narration, is if they had used the narrator for the Virgil books too. That would have just been the cat's meow.

Recommended if you've been reading the Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flower's series.

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Recipe Review from 6/28/21

This fine little fellow came home with us on Friday. English Setter, 8 weeks old. Nickname: Lil' Teufel. He's an angel when he's sleeping and a little devil when he's awake. But that's the way of a puppy.

Hi!  I'm Chet!

The Meal Plan
Sat (L)leftovers (S) Surf and turf and Potato Salad
Sun (L) Grand Rapids Brewery (S) Grilled sausage and veggies
Mon (yoga pm) leftovers sausage and veggies
Tues (donate blood) out
Wed (yoga pm) leftover sausage and potato salad
Thurs - Corn and Clam chowder
Fri - leftover chowder

Lunches - farro and feta salad bowl  (originally wheatberry, chickpea and feta salad)

Grilled Sausage with Vegetables (Eating Well, July/August 2021) gluten free
Another easy dish full of summer flavors and great for a hot summer evening. Toss on the grill, chop, eat. It's that easy. I used andouille sausage as I had some in the fridge, skipped the tarragon as I didn't have any (and it's not worth paying $3.00 for a small package for a tablespoon). This serves four, but I somehow managed to get 3 meals out of it and I was short a sausage. Not complaining tho! I like it when I can stretch meals a bit. Recommended!

Photo from EatingWell.com

Serves 4 (equivalent of 1 sausage each)

2 large bell peppers, seeded and quartered
2 large red onions, cut into wedges
3 cloves garlic, grated, divided
1 teaspoon ground fennel seed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage links (I used andouille sausage)
1 bunch scallions, trimmed
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
Pinch of salt

Preheat grill to medium-high.

Toss peppers, onions, half the garlic and fennel seed with 1 tablespoon oil in a large bowl.

Oil the grill rack. Grill the peppers and onions, sausage and scallions, turning occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and slightly charred and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the sausage registers 165°F, about 4 minutes for the scallions, 8 minutes for the sausage and 10 to 12 minutes for the peppers and onions. Transfer to a clean cutting board. Slice the vegetables and sausage into 2-inch pieces.

Whisk the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and garlic with parsley, tarragon, vinegar and salt in a medium bowl. Add the vegetables and toss to coat. Serve the vegetables with the sausage, topped with more parsley and tarragon, if desired.


Clam and Corn Chowder (modified from Eating Well, July/August 2021)
This was fairly quick to pull together, had good flavor, and made enough for leftovers. I did do a significant modification - I skipped the whole corn cob part. I just didn't want of futz with corncobs. Which means, this might have been a bit subdued in the corn flavors and more pronounced clam flavors. Which is just fine if it saved me a bit of time. The best time savings was the coming days when I could reheat and serve. When it's 90* outside...yeah, that's about all I have energy for. I served this with slices of lightly toasted sourdough bread. Recommended.

Photo from EatingWell.com

Serves 6

2 ears corn, husked (I used 2 cups frozen corn)
2 strips bacon, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups diced onion
1 cup diced celery
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
⅓ cup white whole-wheat flour
3 (6.5 ounce) cans chopped clams, drained, juices reserved
2 cups clam juice
4 cups diced waxy potatoes, such as yellow or red
2 cups whole milk
½ teaspoon ground pepper
⅛ teaspoon salt  It's plenty salty from the clams

Cut kernels from corn cobs. Reserve the cobs.

Add the corn kernels and bacon to a large pot. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is crisp and the corn starts to brown, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon and corn to a small bowl.

Add butter, onion, celery, garlic, thyme and bay leaf to the pot. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in juices from the cans, clam juice and the reserved corncobs. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer; cover and cook until the potatoes are tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Discard the corncobs, thyme sprigs and bay leaf.

Stir in clams, milk, pepper and salt. Add half of the reserved bacon and corn. Cook, stirring, until hot, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve topped with the remaining bacon and corn.

Eat Better, Feel Better: My Recipes for Wellness and Healing, Inside and Out by Giada De Laurentiis

Eat Better, Feel Better: My Recipes for Wellness and Healing, Inside and Out by Giada De Laurentiis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jacket Blurb: This book is the culmination of a ten-year journey. . . . I've made a conscious effort to take control of my health because it had finally become impossible to ignore the fact that the choices (or lack thereof ) I'd been making for the past twenty years just weren't working for me anymore.

In Giada's most personal book yet, she gives you an inside look at her path to wellness and how she maintains a balanced life. Giada walks you through how to select food that can actually make you feel better and curate a personalized wellness routine to support a healthy mind and body. She shows you her own process of reconfiguring her diet to control inflammation--and how you can use the same steps to turn your life around. Giada also includes information on how to use complementary wellness tactics like intermittent fasting, meditation, and other self-care routines to optimize your well-being.

Giada devotes an entire chapter to her 3-day reboot--which she follows several times a year--and offers more than two dozen dairy-free, sugar-free, and gluten-free recipes to accompany the plan, as well as a 21-day menu outline that makes good, healthy cooking easy to implement at home. Even though it's so much more than a cookbook, Eat Better, Feel Better also offers 100 new recipes, ​from Italian-influenced ones like Fusilli with Chicken and Broccoli Rabe and Pan-Roasted Pork Chops with Cherry and Red Wine Sauce to her everyday healthy favorites including Quinoa Pancakes; Sheet Pan Parmesan Shrimp and Veggies; Roasted Cauliflower and Baby Kale Salad; and Chocolate and Orange Brown Rice Treats.

Eat Better, Feel Better is the perfect jumpstart to wellness.

I have very loosely followed Giada since she appeared on Food Network, oh, so many many years ago. I have a handful of her early cookbooks that, I admit, are under utilized. And, as it happens when life becomes busy and one doesn't have cable, she slid off my radar. Then I heard an interview with her on Milk Street (it might have been Splendid Table...but I'm pretty sure it was Milk Street) highlighting her career and new book. I was intrigued. I requested the book from the library.

This is part autobiography, part wellness, part cookbook.

Let me say that again: this is part autobiography, part wellness, part cookbook.

This is not a diet book, this is not how to loose weight, and Giada states this numerous times, this is what worked for HER but the audience may find aspects that work for them. This is Giada describing her journey on how eating affects one's digestive and immune system and ultimately, ones health.

The issue Giada is going to face with this book is, she has inherited skinny genes and people are going to scoff and mock her for publishing a "diet" book. However, our digestive and immunity systems don't care if you are skinny, round, an athlete, a concert pianist, tall, short, average, brown eyed, green haired, whatever. We all have a digestive system.

I picked up the book from the library and settled in for a quiet read. First several chapters are her autobiography journaling how she had digestive issues as a child, to launching her food show, and the resulting health issues she was experiencing over the ensuing years. The autobiography is inter-mixed with suggestions on how to get started on a lifestyle change: recommended foods to eat, suggested foods to avoid, and what to stock the pantry with. There is emphasis through-out that this is not a diet, this is a long-term wellness goal for improved digestive health AND, noting, while is what worked for HER, something else may work better for an individual. Also emphasized, this isn't about denying any food - enjoy your favorites, in moderation or on special occasions.

The first third of the book felt very familiar to me. I have read similar suggestions in my Ayurvedic studies and other supporting documentation on digestive health. The second aspect I noted was the ingredients being recommended were predominantly Mediterranean. The Ayurvedic connection I was seeing was confirmed in the latter part of the book. This is definitely a melding of a Mediterranean style of eating with Ayurvedic components.

Reiterating again that this is what worked for Giada, there are a handful of observations I have:

She presents a variety of recipes that could be family friendly without making a Big Deal it's [vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, minimal meat].

There are a wide a variety of gluten free recipes. A person would need access to a co-op or well stocked grocery store (or online) if opting for all-in. Bob's Red Mill might be your best option. I say this from the perspective of living in the North Central part of the States where I have difficulty finding ingredients. I have yet to find a store that carries pomegranate molasses...

While this is not a vegetarian or vegan cookbook, there are meat and dairy free recipes or the recipes have a small meat component. Some may need to swap meat or meat substitute, or increase protein for your dietary needs.

I have flagged several recipes to try, but I may have to return the book to the library before I have a chance to make them. There's a wait list so it's non-renewable. If I'm able, I'll pop back and report on the recipes.

Overall, an interesting book that brings attention to a very overlooked and dismissed aspect of our well being - out gut. It's one person's journey that they choose to share, and perhaps it will help to bring awareness to digestive issues people deal with. Is this for everyone? No. Is it a one-size-fits-all solution? No. Is it a perfect solution for everyone? No. But it starts the dialog, which is pretty cool and long overdue.


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