Posts Tagged ‘vegetables’

As my friend H and I were sipping cocktails and noshing on fried goods during New Year’s Eve I brought up the subject of resolutions and how I didn’t have any. The classic “eat healthier” idea came up but we both agreed it’s hard to control that when you work in a test kitchen. I mentioned the idea of eating raw or doing a ‘detox day’ once a week and that’s where the motivation to cook this dish came from. It’s a detox dinner – packed full of vegetables, nutrients, lean protein, sits easy on the stomach and comes together quickly.

Kale and dark greens are always at the top of health food lists since they’re packed full of vitamins and nutrients and get an extra bonus for being dirt cheap so they’re also great for eating on a budget. This whole dish has a very light, yet earthy feel to it. The bacon gives it this wonderful reminiscent aroma of pork and greens but saves you the calories and heavy food guilt. Now let’s just hope I can keep this up the rest of the year…

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Oof. I don’t know about y’all but I have a wicked food hangover. This Christmas was filled with what felt like a week of marathon eating and drinking – whether it be snacking on appetizers at home, drinks out with friends, multiple calorie-laden coffee drinks while out running errands, Christmas dinner and its leftovers, etc. It just feels like I’ve been eating non-stop since Wednesday and I am so ready for a break…. until New Year’s Eve at least.

But onto the good stuff! The great stuff. Our dinner this year went from the over-the-top 6 rib prime rib roast we’ve done the past few years to something a little easier and more economical for our 4-person dinner: strip steaks. We all love em in the family and I did em the best way: seared in a huge cast iron skillet, popped in a screaming hot oven for a few minutes, and served with lotsa butter and blue cheese crumbles. All the side dishes I made were either done far in advance (and then reheated) or done à la minute (right before serving) so I could keep my time well divided. I did about an hour of prep, an hour of prep cooking time, and then about 20 min cooking right before dinner. It was the easiest and most delicious Christmas dinner we’ve ever had. Take that, prime rib!

So here’s a (very) random collection of photos from what I ate and drank over my holiday. Apologies for the quality and randomness. I just didn’t seem to want to take the time to use my Nikon during all the fun so the iPhone did a lot of the work this year.

Our menu:

• Pan-seared strip steaks with butter and blue cheese
• Scalloped sweet potatoes with sage
• Creamy parmesan polenta
• Roasted fresh Brussels sprouts
• Wedge salad with blue cheese and bacon
• Christopher Elbow truffles (for dessert)

Pre-dinner martini.

My least favorite vegetable. The things I do for my family…

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I have a simple philosophy. Almost any vegetable side dish can be turned into an entrée simply by tossing it with pasta and this dish definitely proves it and then some.

Cauliflower is one of those vegetables that isn’t the best thing raw, but can be exponentially improved by roasting which brings out all sorts of awesome caramelization flavors and textures. Tossed with tons of roasted garlic and bright lemon juice, this is a delicious side-turned-entrée no doubt, and thankfully one of those things that could easily be served winter, spring, summer or fall.

Update: Just wanted to say a big “Thank you!” to Fine Cooking magazine for featuring this post in their Best of the Blogs. Thanks again!

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I’m tempted to create a tag which reads “Slow Cooker Sunday” since that’s all I seem to be doing lately, but it’s just so perfect for my life (and food cravings) right now, y’all just have to roll with me for awhile.

I know this is far from what a real cassoulet is (mmm pork fat) but let’s just call this a lightened, long-cooked homage to the French classic. You still get the meaty, rich white beans and aromatics with vegetables, but just a whole lot less pork and fat. I’m just on a mad hunt for any slow cooker stews that are figure-friendly but also very filling, and let me tell you, it’s harder than it seems, so this recipe was a delightful surprise.

Be sure to leave your vegetables very chunky and thickly cut for this recipe. If you slice them too thin or small they’ll disintegrate over the long cooking period (same with the sausage, which I just add at the end). If you’re vegetarian, feel free to use meatless Italian sausage or just add more beans to make this a little heartier.

I could honestly dance a jig right now.

Not only did I find out I get to go to Louisiana for culinary/press tour at the end of the month (carriage rides! fabulous restaurants! touring John Besh’s ranch!), but the entire week the temperature stayed below 80°, and often evenings were in the low 60′s. I have never felt happier to welcome fall, and my God, I am welcoming it by dusting off the Crock Pot and cooking me some soup!

I had a ton of errands to run today and knew it was going to be rainy and slightly chilly, so this morning I threw all these things into the pot and went on my merry way. 8 hours later I had an aromatic, hearty (but healthy) and delicious soup I could eat for the next few days. It’s just so easy – how can people not love the slow cooker life?