Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Tarragon Broccoli

I didn't think this was worth a blogpost until I had it as lunch leftovers today, and decided it would be a shame not to prepare broccoli this way again.

Clean broccoli and cut into florets. Then slice each floret through the stem (at least in half, maybe into thirds or more if it's a big one) to make flat slices of broccoli.

Sautee on medium-high heat in a little oil with tarragon and splashes of white balsamic vinegar, just long enough to turn dark green and take out the crunch. Firm, sweet, and very pleasant.

(Served as a side with this pasta dish from Smitten Kitchen, which was fantastic.)

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Rebecca's Breakfast Shake

The boyfriend has been making me these in the morning. His sister taught him. They are awesome and shockingly creamy.

Banana, peanut butter, milk, ice, little salt. (I imagine if the banana were frozen you might not need ice.)

Monday, March 21, 2011

Enchiladas with Creamy Roasted Corn Sauce

Cheesy on the inside and corny on the outside, just like me!* Base recipe here, but it's weirdly hard to follow, sooooo:

For the (really really freaking tasty) sauce:
1 32-oz bag frozen corn
1/2 TB butter & a squirt of honey
4 large cloves garlic - don't peel yet!
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp cayenne
S&P


For the enchiladas:
14 corn tortillas
1 10-oz bag spinach
1 white onion
2 portobello caps
butter, salt
14 corn tortillas + grated cheese (sharp cheddar... salty white... many could work).


Start w/the sauce. Put the butter, corn & honey in a deep skillet w/a tight-fitting lid. Crank the heat up high to melt out the water & toast the corn, gripping the skillet with potholders to give an occasional good shake so it doesn't stick to the sides. Toast it till at least some of it is golden-brown.

Meanwhile, bake your 4 cloves of garlic till soft (I always do this in the toaster). You could also put them in with the corn, but that seems messy.

When corn's done, put 1/2 of it in the blender. Peel the garlic and add that too. Add rest of sauce ingredients. Puree. Adjust flavor. Mix in the rest of the corn. Try not to eat with spoon while making the enchiladas.

Next, slice up your onion and your portobellos., the thinner the better. Brown the onion in butter, add mushrooms. When they're cooked, put the spinach atop to melt it down. Salt the mixture a little.

Finally, the assembly line: On each tortilla, put a line of cheese down the middle. (I had some sharp cheddar and some grated parmesan, and I liked both). Spoon just a leetle of the filling mixture on top. Fold, and nestle all of 'em together in a greased 9x13 glass baking dish. Cover with the corn sauce. Tortillas will probably crack some. No biggie, it'll all be delicious in the end.

Bake at 350 covered with foil for 25 minutes, then without the foil for another 5. Unless you're feeding an army, this will lead to many leftover lunch portions.

*I'm so braindead that the whole time I was cooking these, I was singing a little ditty in my head to the tune of Frere Jacques, like this: "EnchiLAdas, EnchiLAdas, I'll eat you! I'll eat you!" So please, don't judge me by my commentary. Just by my enchiladas.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Lemony, Nutmeg-y Kale

In just the tiniest amount of grapeseed oil, cook down:

2 bunches kale (1 red & 1 green), torn from stems
1 container of yellow cherry tomatoes
1 TB chopped garlic

Douse with lemon juice; add about 1 tsp grated nutmeg and a small pat of butter.

Serve dusted with grated parmesan.

When I see kale as a side at an Italian restaurant it's usually something like this, and I order it everytime.

**Update:  For a variation, instead of serving with parmesan, mix the lemon juice with an equal portion of Greek yogurt.**

Monday, March 7, 2011

Strawberry Breakfast Salad with Cowboy

Older sister S and I both love salad for breakfast. Little sister A is just learning to love salad. And thus the Strawberry Breakfast Salad was born, which can be eaten by A for dinner and S and K for breakfast.

Confused? Me too. Just make this, then eat it for lunch, or for dinner, or for breakfast. Especially recommended with biscuits.



Warm brown rice
Lots of fresh sliced strawberries
Walnuts
Torn rainbow chard

Toss with a tiny bit of maple syrup, olive oil, a bit of sea salt, a dash of mustard powder, and a bit of apple cider vinegar.

Eat with a cowboy, if available. If said cowboy doesn't want salad, make this and serve with a fried egg on top.