Beefy Breakfast Bake

I found this recipe in "Taste of Home" magazine and it is delicious not only for breakfast, but paired with a salad for lunch or dinner!  This protein-packed dish will satisfy any hunger!!

BEEFY BREAKFAST BAKE

Ingredients:

1lb lean ground beef

2 tsp onion powder,

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp ground sage

red pepper flakes

1 pkg frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

4 cups frozen, diced hashbrown potatoes

14 large eggs

1 cup ricotta cheese (or soft goat's cheese)

1/3 cup milk

1 tsp black pepper

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 1/3 cups grape tomatoes, halved

• Preheat oven to 350F.  In a  large skillet, saute the beef with onion powder, 1/2 tsp salt, garlic poweder, sage and pepper flakes over medium heat until no longer pink.  Break the beef up into crumbles with the spoon.  Stir in spinach and remove from heat.
• Spread potatoes in a greased 13 x 9 baking dish.  Top with beef mixture.
• In a large bowl whisk together eggs, ricotta, milk, black pepper, and remaining salt; pour over top of the beef.  Sprinkle with Cheddar and top with tomatoes.
• Bake, uncovered for 45 to 50 minutes or until a knife inserted near the centre comes out clean.
• Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.
• ENJOY!

Zuppa de Fagioli

I created this simple and flavourful soup using ingredients almost solely from our CSA box from "Cooper's CSA Farm & Maze"!  This is considered a peasant soup in Italy and is often passed over for the more popular minestrone, however I urge you to try it.  Not only is this nutritious and easy to create, it is colourful  and flavourful!!

ZUPPA DE FAGIOLI

Ingredients:

2 - 14oz cans of low-sodium cannellini beans (you can substitute white kidney beans)

1 tbsp. EVOO

I leek (white and light green parts), trimmed, sliced in half, cleaned and thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 tsp dried)

1/2 tsp dried oregano

2 celery stalks, diced

1 carrot, diced

2lbs spinach, trimmed and roughly chopped (you can substitute kale or Swiss chard)

2 ripe tomatoes, diced

4 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken stock

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (optional)

• Put 1 can of beans with its liquid in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth.  Drain and rinse other can of beans.
• Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat.  Add leek, garlic, thyme and oregano.  Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the leeks are soft.  Add celery, carrot, spinach and tomato; cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes, or until spinach is wilted.
• Stir pureed beans and stock into vegetable mixture.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
• Add drained beans and stir until heated through.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Serve in warm bowls topped with grated Parmesan cheese.
• ENJOY!

Saag Paneer (Indian Spinach with Homemade Cheese)

Saag...

Paneer...

 This is a classic Northern Indian dish that consists of spinach and fresh, unripened cheese made by curdling whole milk to separate the curds from the whey.  You can find it in many stores,
but as with most things, I find homemade best!

SAAG PANEER

Ingredients:

2 bunches spinach, trimmed

2 tbsp vegetable (or coconut) oil

3/4 tsp whole cumin seeds

1 onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp finely grated fresh gingerroot

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (AKA coriander)

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp ground coriander

Pinch cinnamon

3 plum tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped

1/3 cup Balkan-style yogurt

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp garam masala

8 oz paneer, cubed

Saag Paneer!!!

• In a large pot of salted boiling water, blanch spinach until just wilted; drain.  Chill under cold water and drain again.  In a food processor, puree spinach with 1/4 cup water and set aside.
• In a large deep skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat;  cook cumin seeds until slightly darkened (approx. 10 seconds).  Add onion and butter; saute until onion is golden (approx. 8 minutes).  
• Reduce heat to medium; stir in garlic and ginger and saute for 1 minute.  Stir in fresh cilantro, cayenne, turmeric, ground coriander, salt and cinnamon.  Saute, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds before adding tomatoes.  Stir until tomatoes break down (approx. 3 minutes).
• Stir in pureed spinach; cover and cook, stirring occasionally and adding 1 to 2 tbsp water if mixture is getting too dry, until steaming hot (approx. 3 mins).
• Stir in yogurt, lemon juice and garam masala; bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat to low and add paneer.  Cover and cook until heated through (approx. 2 minutes)
• Serve and ENJOY!

PANEER RECIPE:

12 cups homogenized milk

1 cup lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

• In a large saucepan, bring milk to a boil; remove from heat.  Add lemon juice; stir until milk curdles and separates into spongy white chunks (curds) and greenish milky water (whey).  Stir in salt.
• Pour into a double cheesecloth-lined stainer set over bowl.  Let stand until most of the liquid has drained off.  Fold cheesecloth over top; weigh down with a plate and full 28oz can.  Refrigerate for 8 hrs or up to 24 hrs.
• Remove cheesecloth and use!

*I substituted goat's milk yogurt - it is thicker and my family who is lactose intolerant can eat it!  I also omitted the butter and used coconut milk for the saag recipe...the paneer recipe I followed to a "T".

Springtime Pasta with Asparagus & Spinach

We received fresh spinach, asparagus, herbs, hot house tomatoes and garlic scapes in our 3rd CSA basket! These ingredients, some chopped onions, a can or romano beans and pasta completed this meal!! The best part is that there was no need for a sauce of any kind as the romano beans are soft and creamy once cooked. When tossed with the pasta, they coated all the ingredients like a sauce!

SPRINGTIME PASTA WITH ASPARAGUS & SPINACH

Ingredients:

1 tbsp EVOO

1 onion, chopped

4 garlic scapes finely chopped

6 spears of asparagus snapped into 1" pieces

3 handfuls of fresh spinach leaves

2 chopped fresh tomatoes

1 can of Romano beans, rinsed and drained

2 tsp of dried oregano

250 g of your favourite pasta (I used rotini so the ingredients would hold on to each piece!)

• In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta according to directions.
• Meanwhile, heat EVOO in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic scapes, sauteing until soft. Add asparagus, Romano beans, and tomatoes and cook for approx 5 minutes. Add spinach leaves and saute until wilted.
• Drain pasta and add to the vegetables along with dried oregano. Stir well over medium-high heat to combine all ingredients. Remove from heat and serve with freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste!
  

My AWESOME Salad - CSA Week Two

I was so thrilled to get this week's CSA basket since I received an email from Lisa Cooper saying that we were getting spinach!!! As part of my online Booty Camp Challenge, I not only have eliminated refined sugars and dairy from my diet, but also must have one large salad each day (not too difficult with all the great seasonal produce available now!).

Today I was HUNGRY so I created this using almost all the items from my CSA box! I like to call it a deconstructed salad and everything but the balsamic, vinegar, chickpeas and red onion slivers are from Coopers!

I had frozen a chicken from last summer's CSA and recently roasted it up with fresh herbs, EVOO and salt and pepper. I decided to slice some of this delicious cold chicken and poach an egg to put on top of the baby spinach and green leaf lettuce! The cucumbers and chickpeas were topped with red onion slivers and drizzled with white vinegar ~ yummy! I just snapped a few asparagus spears into bite-sized pieces and sliced up one of my hot house tomatoes to finish it off!

I truly love this time of year for all the amazing produce that's readily available!!! I hope you take advantage of it and create your own salad this weekend!!!

Fettuccine with Arugula, Walnuts & Lemon

I had a container of organic arugula and spinach that needed to be used, so I whipped up this tasty and light dish for dinner!!

FETTUCCINE WITH ARUGULA, WALNUTS & LEMON

Ingredients:

8 oz fettuccine

1/3 cup EVOO

1 garlic clove, chopped

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

3 cups of fresh baby arugula and/or spinach, washed and drained

1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock

4 tbsp of chopped walnuts

1 tbsp unsalted butter

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 cup grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook the fettuccine until it is al dente.
• Meanwhile, while the pasta is cooking, heat the EVOO in a large saute pan and gently cook the garlic, over medium-high heat, until it turns golden brown. Add 3 pinches of Kosher salt, approximately the same amount of pepper, and 2 pinches of the crushed red pepper to the oil.
• Add the arugula leaves and stir until slightly wilted. Add the stock, bring to a boil and reduce the heat to medium. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the walnuts and cook for an additional minute, or until the stock has reduced by half.
• Add the lemon juice and butter and stir to incorporate. Turn off the heat
• Drop the fettuccine into the saute pan with the sauce and mix to incorporate the ingredients. Top with the Parmesan Reggiano and serve!

The pasta will appear slightly creamy, but shouldn't be swimming in the sauce.

Zesty Citrus & Chicken Salad

This is an extremely refreshing salad that I concocted when I found myself craving fruit and veggies for lunch today! I had some marinated feta that I made for our party on Saturday, leftover roasted chicken and a red grapefruit. These combined with baby spinach, cilantro, and a lime dressing was delicious!!!

Spinach Salad with Marinated Feta, Chicken, Graperfuit & Lime Dressing

Ingredients:

(Dressing)

3 tbsp fresh lime juice

2 tbsp honey

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp sunflower oil or extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp salt

(Salad)

1 cup baby spinach

1/2 breast of roasted chicken, slivered

6 cubes of marinated feta*

1 segmented red grapefruit

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

• Whisk all salad ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
• Place spinach in a salad bowl, top with the slivered chicken, feta cubes and red grapefruit segments, and sprinkle the cilantro over top.
• Drizzle the dressing over top and ENJOY!!!

* Marinated Feta:

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp oil-packed sundried tomatoes, diced
• 1 tbsp minced fresh parsley
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp minced fresh chives
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 lb cubed feta cheese

Place all ingredients in a resealable plastic bag and gently toss. Place the bag in the fridge for at least 1/2 hr. Take out of the fridge at least an hour prior to serving to allow the flavours to fully develop.

Untraditional Pesto

I received garlic scapes in my CSA basket from "Cooper's Farm" this week, along with bunches of fresh spinach, and a variety of other springtime veggies. Since scapes have such a short season (much like fiddleheads), I wanted to use them in a manner that we can enjoy them all summer long. So when you're given spinach and scapes, you make pesto (in my books anyway!!) This is lovely on pasta, used in place of hot mustard for sausages, on top of burgers, mixed into sour cream and mayonnaise to make a vegetable or tortilla chip dip, or even with steaks or pork chops...basically anywhere you'd use traditional basil-based pesto!

SPINACH & GARLIC SCAPE PESTO

Ingredients:

2 cups spinach leaves, rinsed and dried

1/2 cup roughly chopped garlic scapes

1/4 cup grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese

1/4 cup EVOO

2 tbsp unsalted butter

salt & pepper

• Place spinach, garlic scapes and cheese in a food processor. Pulse until chunky.


• With machine running, pour in EVOO in a steady stream.


• Process until smooth.


• Add butter and salt and pepper (to taste), and continue processing until really smooth.


• Enjoy on your favourite pasta, pizza, grilled meats, or in dips!!!

Quick & Easy Spanokopita

This is a recipe that I got from "Martha Stewart Living" magazine. When the spinach is readily available in our crop share basket, we eat this like it's going out of style! Paired with the lemon-roasted potatoes (see my "go-to potatoes" post on May 4th, 2009), it is a wonderful meal, add a salad or steamed asparagus (also ripe for the picking at the same time as spinach!), and this is a nice lunch.

QUICK SPANOKOPITA

Ingredients:

3 tbsp EVOO

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 lb baby spinach leaves

1 large farm-fresh egg

1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

1/4 cup fresh dill, finely chopped

6 oz feta cheese, crumbled (or as much as you fancy!!)

1 1/2 tsp coarse salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

10 sheets of phyllo dough, thawed if frozen

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

• Preheat oven to 350F


• Heat EVOO in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and saute until softened and fragrant - approx. 8 mins.


• Gradually add spinach and cook, stirring often, until wilted - approx. 5 mins.


• Transfer spinach mixture to a bowl and stir in egg, herbs, feta, salt and pepper.


• Lay 1 sheet of phyllo pastry on a parchment-lined baking sheet (cover remaining sheets with a damp towel to prevent them drying out), and brush lightly with butter. Repeat twice.


• Spread spinach mixture in centre, leaving approx. 1" border.


• Top with three more butter sheets of phyllo pastry. Fold in sides to make a rectangular package.


• Lightly crumple remaining 4 sheets of phyllo pastry and place on top of spanokopita. Lightly brush with butter.


• Bake until dark golden, approx. 40 minutes


• ENJOY!

Spinach & Blue Cheese Salad with Pears and Candied Pecans!!!

I know many of you have had the opportunity to taste and enjoy this salad, but it wasn't until I looked through all the recipes that I have posted, that I realized I have never officially posted this recipe (although I have had written it out many time for friends and have included it on the recipe section of the "Cooper's CSA Farm & Maze" website http://www.coopersfarm.ca/ that I am in charge of)....so here it is! I even included photos of the dressing and completed salad to whet your appetites!!

I had a similar salad at "Quigley's" in Toronto and enjoyed it so much that when I came home, I decided to experiment and try reproducing the flavours at home. The difference that I made was to create a red onion vinaigrette dressing as opposed to a sweeter one that was used at the restaurant.

SPINACH & BLUE CHEESE SALAD WITH PEARS AND CANDIED PECANS

Ingredients For Dressing:

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup lemon juice

2 to 4 tbsp finely chopped red onions

1 tsp salt

2/3 cup oil (EVOO makes the dressing take on a greenier tone, but a vegetable or grain-based oil gives the dressing the bright pink colour you see in the picture above)

• Combine the first 4 ingredients in a blender (I use my mini-chopper), and blend well.
• While running, add oil in a steady stream until the dressing becomes thick and smooth.

Ingredients For Candied Pecans:

1 cup pecan halves (or 1/2 cup pecans and 1/2 cup walnuts)

1/3 cup brown sugar, firmy packed

2 tbsp butter, melted

• Stir all ingredients together in a small bowl and then spread on a lightly greased baking sheet, or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (which I prefer because it means less clean-up!)
• Bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure even coating.
• Let cool and set aside. Once the mixture is cool and looks like brittle, just crumble and put into a container with a lid. The nuts can be kept in a fridge for at least two weeks (although they don't last that long at our house!)

Salad:

10 oz bag of baby spinach leaves

2 ripe pears, peeled and cut into chunks

Crumbled blue cheese (frankly I don't measure this - as much as you would like!)

Red Onion Vinaigrette

Candied Pecans

• Combine the first three ingredients in a large salad bowl.
• Drizzle with the vinaigrette and sprinkle with the candied pecans
• ENJOY!!!

The Best Potluck Dish...EVER?!

Although I am sure you are tired of hearing me say it, but I created this dish using ingredients that I received in my CSA basket from "Cooper's CSA Farm & Maze". When growing season is upon us and we receive bushel baskets brimming with produce, rather than try to use it all at once, I simply process the veggies (trim, peel, blanch, chop, etc.) and freeze them in my chest freezer until a time where I will need them - with the added bonus that they are pretty much ready to go as I took the time to trim and chop them prior to freezing!
This recipe is one that I have had for YEARS and have pulled out time and again whenever I am asked to produce a potluck meal. It is quick, nutritious, and tastes delicious!!!

LAYERED VEGETABLE CASSEROLE

Ingredients:

10 to 12 medium sized potatoes, peeled and halved

4 tbsp unsalted butter

1 cup sour cream

1 tsp salt

300g of frozen, chopped spinach - defrosted and squeezed dry

2 thinly sliced green onions

1 egg, slightly beaten

300g of frozen, squash puree

1 tbsp grated ginger

1 cup of grated, sharp cheddar cheese

EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) or cooking spray for casserole dish

1. Place peeled and halved potatoes in a large pot filled with salted water. Boil for 20 to 30 mins. until soft. Drain and mash stirring in 2 tbsp butter, sour cream and 1/2 tsp salt.

2. Stir drained spinach together with green onions, egg, 1 tbsp butter and 1/4 tsp salt.

3. Stir squash puree together with 1 tbsp butter, ginger and 1/4 tsp salt.

4. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a large casserole dish with EVOO or cooking spray. Using a silicone spatula (I find this is the best tool for the job!) spread 1/3 of the mashed potatoes evenly, on the bottom of the dish. Evenly spread all of the squash on top of the potatoes, followed by 1/2 of the remaining mashed potatoes - remember to smooth out evenly. Then follow with the spinach mixture and the remaining potatoes. Sprinkle cheddar over top of the casserole and bake in the oven, uncovered, for 55-60 mins!

5. ENJOY!!!