Menu for One

20 Quick, No Cook Meals Using Roasted Chicken

"UGH.  There's nothing to eat."  Have you ever said this while staring into your kitchen cupboards?  I say it all the time.  A recent house-sitting gig, however, caused me to change my attitude and muster my creativity.

I spent the first week of August taking care of a dog, a cat, two birds, and a fish.  A wonderful crew, really.  While hunting for some doggie ice cream in the freezer one day, I came across a list taped to the side of the refrigerator entitled, "What to Do If I'm Bored."  Clearly, a child had complained one time too many that there was nothing to do.  Top of the list?  "Build fairy hut in the front yard," which was followed by "Write down 20 (or 10) nice things about someone you know, and then give them that list," (on second thought, this idea was a little ambitious, I guess) and "Host movie festival for your friends."   A movie festival?  Great idea!

Inspired by her list, I decided that I would create my own lists for the side of my refrigerator.  These are perfect no-recipes for the dog days of summer, when you can't bring yourself to turn on the oven, or when you're just looking for a quick and tasty meal using the leftovers from that chicken you roasted.  Share your go-to, no-recipe meals in the Comments section!

Chopped, sliced, or shredded rotisserie/roasted chicken with...

1. pesto, dried cranberries on salad or in a wrap
2. curry powder-spiked plain or greek yogurt and halved green grapes, served over rice (hot or cold)
3. black beans, rice, cheese, salsa, and your other favorite burrito accoutrements
4. bbq sauce and coleslaw on an onion roll to make a kickin' BBQ chicken sandwich
5. tomatoes, bibb lettuce, provolone, and mustard on pumpernickel
6. with mayo, chopped celery, and dill on a crossant
7. with curry-spiked mayo on an onion roll
8. soy sauce and stir-fried vegetables on a bed of rice
9. thinly-sliced brie, and granny smith apples or grapes, mustard optional, on frenchbread, served hot or cold
10. scrambled eggs or omelet with sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese
11. carrots, onions, tomatoes and green beans simmered in chicken or vegetable broth
12. rice and sauteed veggies, and stuffed in a blanched red bell pepper
13. bacon and blue cheese on a pizza
14. thinly-sliced potato, shallots, and spinach on a pizza
15. finely chopped pickled vegetables in a hot dog bun
16. farfalle pasta, pesto, and halved cherry tomatoes
17. lettuce, tomato, minced jalepeno, and mashed avocado inside a taco shell or tortilla
18. cheese and tomato on sandwhich bread, grilled
19. toasted french bread, sliced tomatoes, arugula, and creamy caesar salad dressing
20. spinach, feta, and red bell peppers in a tortilla, grilled into a quesadilla.

The Easiest Impressive Thing You Can Cook in a Kitchen: Roast Chicken

[Note: This is arguably not the most impressive thing you can cook in the kitchen, but it is the easiest impressive thing you can cook in a kitchen, and takes less skill than required to boil an egg].

Eager to impress a date?

Trying to prove to your mom you are perfectly capable of keeping yourself alive, and that no, you don't subsist on ramen and Kraft mac & cheese?

Embarrassed that the friendly staff at Chick-Fil-A knows you by name?

If you answered yes to any of the questions above, you'll want to roast a chicken.  Now, this is bare bones here.  There are a million ways to skin this chicken, so to speak, and we can get to that later.  For right now, here's what you'll need:

INGREDIENTS:	SUPPLIES:
A whole chicken.  3-4 lbs, preferably one that was treated well during its lifetime.  If it ate well and roamed around, you will taste it.  Ask your butcher for advice if you need it – they love to help.	An oven.
[insert fruit or vegetable here].  This is a wildcard.  You may stuff the chicken with a halved lemon, apple, or onion.  Pick whatever you like – it just keeps the chicken nice and moist.	An oven-safe pan large enough to fit the chicken.  For example: a cast-iron skillet, a roasting pan, a cookie sheet, or that pan you cook brownies in.
Optional: carrots, celery, or diced potatoes.  I like to set the bird on top of a layers of vegetables so it doesn’t stew in its own juices.

Set your oven to 425F.  Make sure there's nothing in the bird (sometimes butchers store a bag of giblets there).  Halve a lemon (or other fruit or vegetable) and stuff it in the bird.  Sprinkle the chicken with a tablespoon of kosher salt; this will help develop nice, crisp skin.  (You can do all of this the morning of or the night before if you want.)

Set the chicken in an oven-safe pan.  I place mine breast up, but it really doesn't matter.  Put the pan in the oven and walk away.  That's right, just walk away.  Your work is done here.  Come back in an hour and remove the pan from the oven.  Let the chicken hang out for 15 minutes before carving (it will be difficult, but fight the urge to dig in right away; this will be the key to your success).   THE END.  For real.

Do this and you will succeed where Cher of Clueless fame did not (remember the log of cookie dough incident?), for now your house will be filled with the rich, warm, and impressive smell of a home-cooked meal.  If you're not sure how to carve a chicken, there are many step-by-step videos on YouTube.  The bird will be so juicy, however, that you can easily pick the meat off with your fingers.

Pickled Cauliflower - No Scurvy for You this Winter

 

Saturday was the best day off I've had in a long time.  The sun was shining, the leaves were starting to turn color, the air was crisp.  My alarm went off, I opened up the kitchen windows, turned on some tunes (not to be confused with toons, come to think of it), and started planning. 

Every once in a while I love taking on a big kitchen project.  Like the Insane Cookie Baking Festival (ICBF) of 2008 where my friend Kathleen and I made no fewer than 11 different kinds of Christmas cookies, or that day when my friend Emily and I tried to make perfect petit fours, little confectionary presents, and instead created the ugliest, squint-your-eyes-they're-so-sweet mini cakes you've ever laid your eyes (or tastebuds) on:

No false modesty here. 

But I digress.  What was I talking about?  Oh right - pickled cauliflower, of course.  As you may recall, I got a great book last Christmas called Well-Preserved Eugenia Bone.  She provides a master recipe for canning something, be it a fruit, vegetable, or something like tuna, and then shows you how you can put it to use in an actual meal.  Months from now, when the sun shines only a few hours a day and the ground is frozen solid, while I eat a hearty dish of Roasted Chicken and Cauliflower, a delicate Poached Fish Salad with pickled vegetables, or Penne with Pork and Cauliflower, I will look back with fondness on the Saturday I pretended to be one of Laura Ingalls Wilder's sisters living on the prairie. 

Short of tossing around a pig's bladder as a balloon, I can now attest that at least part of prairie living - canning and preserving - is really kind of fun.  Although I started this post suggesting that this project was a big undertaking (for I really thought it would be), all told, it probably took less than an hour and a half.   It I hadn't been taking my sweet time, as I am want to do on a lazy Saturday, I probably could have canned all this cauliflower start to finish in under an hour.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

SUPPLIES (most you already have on hand)

- (6) 6 oz. canning jars (available at your local hardware store or grocery store).  I used jars I had hanging around the house, and came up with the four 6oz jars and two 4oz jars you'll see in the photos below.  Don't freak out, everything turns out just fine.

- (6) rims and lids.  If you buy new jars, they will usually come with all the lids and rims you'll need.  The great thing about canning jars is that they can be repurposed for all sorts of things, but know this: lids cannot be reused in future canning projects and can be purchased separately from your local canning jar supplier.

- a large stock pot that is taller than the jars (you'll be sterilizing them in boiling water in just a minute).

- a medium-sized, non-reactive saucepan.

- spring-loaded tongs.  Alternatively, if when purchasing your canning supplies you see canning tongs, get those.  Some places sell handy-dandy canning kits that come with all the tools you'll need for this project.

- an oven mitt to protect your hand.

- a drying rack or kitchen towel to place between your jars and kitchen counters.

INGREDIENTS (again, most you already have on hand)

- 1 quart of white wine vinegar or plain white vinegar (5% acidity) (I used a mixture of both)

- 1 large onion, sliced thinly

- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

- 2 cups sugar

- 2.5 lbs cauliflower (approximately two heads)

- pickling or kosher salt

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat, add 1/4 cup pickling or kosher salt for every gallon of water in the pot.  Add the cauliflower florets and boil them for about 3 minutes and drain.  Keep in mind that the cauliflower will have time to finish cooking later in the canning process!

In a medium non-reactive pot, stir together the vinegar, sugar, onions, and hot red pepper flakes.  Bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from heat.

Bring 6 pint jars and their ring bands to a boil in a large pot of water fitted with a rack, if you have one (it keeps the jars from jiggling around). I don't have one, but it wasn't a problem.  Boil for 10 minutes. Remove the jars and ring bands with tongs and air dry on a tea towel.  Bring the water down from a boil to a simmer, and add the new jar lids to soften their rubber edges.  Do not get rid of the water in this large pot until I say so!

When the jars are dry but still hot, gently pack the cauliflower and the onions into the jars. I just used tongs to scoop some of the onion mixture out of the vinegar solution and alternated cauliflower and onion layers in the jar.  Pack loosely so the cauliflower retains its shape.  Cover the vegetables with the vinegar solution, making sure the hot red pepper flakes are distributed well throughout, and leave 1/2 to 3/4 inch of headspace above the vinegar solution.  Wipe the rims of the jars with a towel, place the lids on the jars, and screw on the ring bands fingertip-tight.

Gently place the jars back in the large pot of water.  Bring the water to a boil over high heat, and process the cauliflower for 10 minutes.  Turn off the heat, let the jars sit for a few minutes, then remove them from the water.  (They’ll be hot, so if you don’t have canning tongs, ladle out some of the boiling water and grab the jars using an oven mitt.)  Don’t leave the jars in the water to cool, or the cauliflower will overcook.

Allow the cauliflower to season in a cool, dark place for 4 weeks before using it, after which it will keep for up to a year. Refrigerate after opening. 

But wait!  How can your cauliflower sit on your pantry shelf, unrefrigerated for so long?  According to The Science of Cooking's article on home canning safety, in the first 6-8 hours after you finish the canning process, "the atmospheric pressure outside the jar is greater than the pressure inside. This difference in pressure pulls the lid down onto the jar and forms a vacuum seal."  When the seal forms, you'll hear a popping noise. 

If you were washing your hair or your favorite episode of Dragnet was on and you didn't hear the popping noise, don't worry, you'll still be able to tell if the seal has formed.  Press down gently on the top of the lid.  If it gives, it hasn't formed a seal yet.  Generally, you can re-process a jar within 24 hours.  Try a new jar or lid, and give it another go.  If you have more questions, check out PickYourOwn.org, a great canning website (and a one-stop website to find out where to pick fruits and vegetables in your neck of the woods!)

I hope I've inspired you to give this a try.  It's not as scary as it looks.  It's not scary at all.  The best part about it is that you'll not only have fun, you'll walk away from this project with a great sense of satisfaction (that'll hit you when you hear the last pop! AND when you enjoy the fruits of your labor in the months to come).  You were productive and frugal.  You were old school and trendy.  Your tastebuds and wallet will thank you. 

Ok, now you can get rid of the water in the large pot.

Alton Brown's Peach Upside-Down Cake

In keeping with Menu For One's effort to make the most of these finals days of summer (and by "making the most" I mean making food memories of fresh, sweet corn, peaches, berries, etc. to keep with me throughout the cold winter months), I bring you Peach Upside-Down Cake.  It's dessert.  It's breakfast.  It's both.  It will bring a smile to your face. 

You can assemble it pretty quickly, but if you like, can make it the night before, and easily reheat the next morning.  For some of you, you might have transitioned over into Fall in your neck of the woods.  Hello, season of stews, and braises, and hot chocolate, and apple cider!  Hello, apple picking and corn mazes!  For the rest of us, who, willingly or unwillingly, are still surviving 90 degree whether (WHEN WILL SUMMER EVER END?  IT'S OCTOBER.), the least we can do is enjoy one more peach, one more ear of corn.

This recipe for upside-down cake makes two, and as I hinted above, enjoy one for dessert and save the other for breakfast.  It's great after being heated up in the toaster oven or microwave.  And feel free to experiment with other stone fruits, or apples for that matter.  If you do try some variation, let me know!

Peach Upside-Down Cake
adapted from a recipe by Alton Brown

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 medium peaches
3 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger (I didn't have any on hand an experimented with ground ginger...ok, but not the same.  Get the crystallized ginger.)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 kosher salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar 
1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  If you haven't made upside-down cake before, the gist of it is that you assemble and bake the cake upside down and then enjoy it right side up.  So start assembling the caramelized fruit part of the cake that will ultimately become the part you dig into first.  Divide 1 tablespoons of the butter between (2) 10-ounce to 12-ounce ramekins.  Evenly divide the brown sugar between the ramekins; sprinkling it into the bottoms of the dishes. Carefully cut the peaches into 12 to 14 pieces - I didn't bother peeling it. Lay the peaches on top of the sugar and sprinkle with the ginger.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt (don't skip this step by just adding these ingredients one by one to the final mixture - it's important to make sure that the cake rises as it should).  In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, buttermilk, vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of melted butter.  Then, add the wet mixture to the dry mixture (the muffin-method!) and stir just until combined. Pour the batter over the peaches; dividing the mixture evenly between the dishes. Place the ramekins on a cookie sheet and the sheet on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cake reaches an internal temperature of 190 degrees F.

Remove from the oven to a rack and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of each dish and turn upside down onto a serving plate. If you're planning to enjoy this for breakfast the next day, I don't think I even tried to plate the cake the second time around.  Just enjoy the cake upside-down and it will be just as delicious.  The brown sugar and the fruit juice combine to make a light caramel sauce and it is just so nice.  The original recipes leaves you the option to add whip cream, but I say don't bother.  You risk covering up the softness of the baked peaches and the fluffiness of the cake layer (which is more muffin-like/English pudding-like than a birthday or coffee cake-like).  Enjoy!  And let me know what you think!

Summer Vegetable Tian - "Act Now! While Supplies Last!"

With the end of summer upon us, I'm dedicating the next few posts to summer produce so that we can all enjoy one last hurrah.

Do you remember this moment from the end of Disney's Ratatouille when the snobbish food critic Anton Ego sits down to a rustic ratatouille? The smell alone is enough to melt away his ego (get it? Anton EGO?), but one bite transports him back to the dinner table of his childhood, where he remembers his favorite dish prepared lovingly by his maman. Food can be powerful, and whether you're seated at the family table or dining solo like Anton Ego, a meal can be more than just the means to keep you going throughout the day.

I've enjoyed this dish twice this month, and each time it takes me back to the semester I spent studying in Paris. It was the first meal my host family served. I wish I could say that moment was as magical for me as it was for Anton, but alas, it was not. After a long day of traveling, I sat down at the table feeling awkward and self-conscious, trying to think of something, not even intelligent - just coherent, to say. As she would do every night, my host mother served a table red wine, a simple salad, three cheeses, and an entree. That night: ratatouille, the rustic stew of tomatoes, yellow squash, and zucchini. I remembered thinking, "Oh no! I HATE SQUASH! But I'm so hungry! I'm going to have to eat this and look like I like it.  If this is how it's going to be every night, it is going to be a LONG semester." [Ungrateful guest that I was, I ate every bite. My host mother turned out to be a wonderful cook (although she was too modest to agree) and I looked forward to every meal that she served.]

Unfortunately, I did not get this recipe from her. She often served a wonderful tomato tart (which I am still trying to recreate), and when I asked her for the recipe, she was genuinely surprised that I'd want it, because to her, these meals were nothing special. Alas, she did not cook with recipes, and so I have only my memories to go on.

A word to the Haters out there. If you don't like squash, or mushrooms, or green beans, whatever - I get it, believe me, I do. There is no rule that when you become an adult you have to like every food on the planet. However, it would behoove you (as my mother would say) to figure out what it is exactly that you hate. Is it a flavor or a texture thing? Or was it just the fact that your mother cooked it until it was limp and army green, and you haven't wanted to try it since? For me, with squash it's a total texture thing. So slicing the squash and zucchini very, very thin works for me. They get a little crispy. Plus, parmesan cheese makes everything taste better.

Vegetable Tian
adapted from Barefoot in Paris, by Ina Garten

Note: This recipe is very flexible, and can easily be adjusted to serve 1 or 30, using any rimmed, oven-safe baking dish.  I used a 7x10 inch baking dish (although I just got a 5x7 inch Le Crueset baking dish for my birthday - thanks Emily!) which would be even better when making this dish for one.  Try to cut the vegetables the same thickness for even cooking time.  I used a mandoline (take it from me and my bandaged finger, use the hand guard or a nifty kevlar glove like this one to protect your hand).  For the prettiest results, try to pick vegetables that are about the same size.

Olive Oil
1/2 to 1 whole yellow onion, cut in half and sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
3-4 gorgeous summer tomatoes
1 large or 2 small zuchinis
1 large or 2 small yellow squash
2-3 yukon gold or red potatoes (no need to peel)
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves or chopped chives
handful grated Parmesan or Gruyere cheeese

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees and grease the baking dish (see Note above).  In a tablespoon of olive oil, sautee the onions for 8-10 minutes, until they become soft and translucent.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute.  Spread the onion mixture on the bottom of the baking dish.

Here comes the fun part.  While the onions are cooking, slice the vegetables into thin slices.  Ina sliced hers about 1/4 inch think, but I used the 3 mm setting on my mandoline.  Layer the vegetables tightly on top of the onions, alternating the tomatoes, potatoes, and squash in whatever order you like (one layer only, please).  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with a little olive oil, and cover with foil.  Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.  Pierce a slice of potato with a fork - it should be tender.  Sprinkle the dish with the cheese, and cook uncovered for another 30 minutes to allow the cheese to melt and brown.

If (and I do mean IF) there's any leftover, spoon some of the onions and the vegetable mixture on top of a baguette for a great sandwich.  Bon appetit!

Chicken Saltimbocca for Two (or One)

Slowly, but surely, I am sprucing up this site.  I am no spring chicken when it comes to cooking, but definitely am one when it comes to web design.  Yesterday, I added a search bar that should make it that much easier to find recipes featuring particular ingredients or old favorites. 

To test out this new feature, I typed "chicken," and - low and behold - discovered that Menu For One did not yet mention a single recipe involving a chicken breast - America's favorite form of dinner time protein.  I shouldn't have been that surprised, really.  Truth is, I rarely buy chicken breast by itself.  Boneless, skinless chicken breast is the most expensive cut of chicken at the butcher counter, and so I've tried to either a) buy a whole chicken (cooking it all at once and using the meat over the next several days) or b) buy cheaper cuts of chicken (a la the bone-in, skin on chicken thigh, which by the way, is MUCH more flavorful).

 

But that does not mean that chicken breast cannot be good eats.  Enter Stage Right: Chicken Saltimbocca.  I am happy to announce that this recipe came from America's Test Kitchen's 2010 Special Issue "Cooking for Two."  You may remember that I asked for your opinion on their cookbook of the same name - do not be fooled.  This is merely a magazine edition featuring two person servings of recipes they've featured in their magazine throughout 2010.  [I feel like I'm the voiceover on an infomercial: "On newsstands now!"]

America's Test Kitchen was conscious that Menu For Oners hate throwing things in their refrigerator away, so they didn't write recipes that required only half a head of cauliflower or half a can of beans.  Last night I tried out Chicken Saltimbocca, and I can attest that it meets this criteria.

Suffice it to say, if you could only take away three things from reading this recipe:
(1) It's cheap.  I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I think it cost less than $7...and that was with me buying the ingredients at Whole Foods!

(2) It's well-rounded: it's tender, it's crunchy, a little bit salty, and smooth.

(3) There won't be any leftovers (unless you plan for them).

Without further ado, I bring you:

Chicken Saltimbocca
America's Test Kitchen

1/4 cup plus 1/2 tsp. unbleached all-purpose flour
2 to 4 (3 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken cutlets, 1/4 to 1/2 in thick*
Kosher Salt
Pepper
2 tsp. minced fresh sage, plus 4 large whole leaves (optional, but don't skip!)
2 to 4 thin slices prosciutto (about 3 ounces), trimmed to shape of cutlet
2 tbl olive oil, plus extra as needed
1 small shallot or 1/2 red onion, minced
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup dry vermouth or white wine
1 tbl butter, chilled
2 tsp minced fresh parsley
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

* For me, one cutlet is plenty...but most people probably would enjoy two.  

Using a paper towel, pat dry the chicken and season with salt and pepper on both sides.  Spread 1/4 cup flour on a plate and dredge the cutlets on both sides, shaking off the excess.  Lay the cutlets on a cutting board.  Sprinkle with the chopped sage and place a piece of prosciutto on top, pressing to adhere.

Meanwhile, heat the olive in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.  Place the whole sage leaves in the oil and cook for 15-20 seconds per side.  Remove, and set on a paper towel (they should be a little crispy when you remove them from the pan).  Next, carefully lay the cutlets in the pan prosciutto-side down and cook two minutes on each side (or until no longer pink).  Transfer the cutlets to a plate and tent loosely with foil.

In the same pan, saute the shallot/onion in 1 tsp of oil for 2-3 minutes or until the onion is soft.  Add the 1/2 tsp of flour, stirring for a minute to get rid of the raw flour taste.  Whisk in the wine/vermouth, making sure scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.  Bring to a simmer and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the sauce has reduced to approximately 1/3 cup.

Return the chicken (and any juices on the plate) to the pan until the chicken is heated through.  Plate and return your attention to this magnificent sauce you have just made.  Turn on the heat, whisking the btter, parsley, and lemon juice into the sauce.  Give it a taste - does it need anymore salt or pepper?  Mine didn't.  You'll notice that the butter makes the sauce a little smoother; the lemon brightens the dish and will help balance out the natural saltiness of the prosciutto.  This, in my opinion, was the best part of the dish.  Spoon this magnificence over your chicken, top with the crunchy-fried sage leaves and serve.  I could barely wait until I got to the table.  Boring?  No.  Chicken again for dinner tomorrow night?  Yes, please. 

Broccoli Slaw with Almonds, Dried Cranberries, and Red Onion

With the advent of grilling season, I'd like to welcome you to Menu For One's Slaw Week!  What goes better with a hunk of smokey goodness straight off the grill than something colorful, crunchy, and a little tangy?

 

I didn't grow up eating slaw.  Not for any particular reason - I don't think my mom had anything against it, it just wasn't something she made.  If anyone did have something against slaw, it was me.  Slaw always meant little orange, white and green matchsticks of who knows what, slathered in mayo and vinegar, scooped into a little white paper cup and placed by the lunch lady on the side of my tray.  I don't even think I tried it (did any kid?).  And although I don't remember specifics, I'm pretty sure it wasn't worth much on the cafeteria trading floor.

Who knows?  For years, I may have been missing out.  If you've ever felt the same way, today can be the first slaw day of the rest of your life.  This first recipe of slaw week comes courtesy of Deb Perelman of SmittenKitchen.com, a woman with a serious hankering for slaw.  Aside from the buttermilk, you may already have everything on hand.

Broccoli Slaw with Almonds, Dried Cranberries, and Red Onion
by Smitten Kitchen

Take a head of broccoli and cut into thin slices.  I used my food processor's slicing blade - watching it just never gets old.  Toss then in a large bowl with 1/2 cup of toasted sliced or slivered almonds, a handful of dried cranberries, and half of small red onion, finely chopped.  

[With regard to the cranberries, my brother Stewart turned me on to Traverse Bay, a company that sells all sorts of dried fruits online.  I bought a box off of Amazon to see what all the fuss was about - Ocean Spray Craisins seemed fine enough to me.  But seriously, take the taste test challenge.  I ate these by the fistfuls.] 

Back to slaw.  In a small bowl or lidded jar, combine 1/4 cup buttermilk, 2 dollops of mayo, 1 tablespoon cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of red onion, finely chopped, and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Whisk (or shake if using a jar) to combine and toss with the broccoli mixture.  And you didn't even have to use the stove!  [no small thing on a day like today.  Here in Atlanta it was in the upper 90s and my A/C has been working overtime.]  If you wanted to, you could probably assemble this all outside next to the grill.  Depending on your appetite, there should be enough for lunch the next day.  Enjoy!

Next up: Raw(!) Asparagus Salad...

Overnight Oatmeal with Apples, Raisins, and Cinnamon

One of the many things I have learned through writing this blog is that food photography is an art...one that I have not mastered.  Here is my latest kitchen adventure (about to be eaten by my roommate's chia pet, a hungry, hungry hippo named George): a slow-cooked oatmeal with fruit that was prepared while I slept.  Prepping this meal the night before could not have been easier, and I cannot tell you how satisfying it was to wake up to a hot breakfast without having to wake up early to prepare it.

About the slow-cooker: when my roommate's brother got married, he was fortunate enough to receive six slow-cooker's for his wedding...each without a gift receipt.  Through his generosity, we received one of them.  But wait!  Nestled inside this slow-cooker was a mini slow-cooker!  I know!  I think it's really meant for fondue, but it turned out to be perfect for this recipe.  If you use a regularly sized slow-cooker, just make sure to cook on the lowest setting.

Overnight Oatmeal
adapted from Alton Brown's recipe

1/4 cup steel cut oats (note: do not substitute old-fashioned/rolled oats)
1/4 cup raisins, figs, or other dried fruits
half of an apple, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces 
1 cup water
1/4 milk or half-and-half

This may be the shortest recipe I've ever reported here: combine everything in the slow-cooker and stir.  Set the slow-cooker on its lowest setting just before you go to bed and a delicious, nutritious, hot breakfast will be waiting for you when you wake up!  Enjoy!

 

WANTED: Hippy fruit and vegetable combo seeks italian sausage to give ensemble heat and sex appeal.

 I'm unemployed at the moment, and like many of us in this economy, I'm trying to do what I can to tighten my purse strings.  To that end, I have developed a strategy that has significantly reduced my grocery bills, increased my intake of the "good for you" foods, and heightened the excitement level in my kitchen each night by at least three notches.

Here's how it works: at the beginning of the month, I go to the grocery store and stock up on staples (everything in the interior of the store), enough to fill up my whole pantry.  I skip the perimeter of the store where the produce and gourmet items are.  If it is shelf-stable or freezer-friendly (rice, pasta, canned tomatoes, etc.) it goes in cart.  Next, I rely on a farmer's market or CSA (community supported agriculture group) for produce, meat (if I don't have any stashed in the freezer) and dairy.  Here in Atlanta, I use Moore Farms - I cannot recommend them highly enough.  First of all, unlike other CSAs, you don't have to subscribe, meaning there's no contract, and you have the freedom to buy from them only when you need to.  Second, you can get a farmer's choice box full of what's in season, but you can also pick out exactly what you want.  But I digress...

In addition to all of the benefits that come from buying from local purveyors (supporting local agriculture, eating what's in season, finding out you actually LOVE swiss chard, yada, yada, yada...), you drastically reduce impulse purchases at the grocery store, especially those super-expensive prepared foods.

Long story short, it is according to this strategy that I came to make this colorful recipe.  Each of these ingredients is in season and can be found at your grocery store or farmer's market.

SAUTEED KALE, SWEET POTATOES, AND APPLES
Traci Des Jardins - Epicurious, November 2007

(2) tablespoons butter, divided
(1) Sweet potato
(1) Apple
(2) cups of kale or swiss chard, stems removed, cut into 2-inch pieces
(1) link hot italian sausage, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces
salt
parsley, chopped (optional)

Total Cost: $2.85 (not including the sausage)

The picture doesn't do this dish justice.  You've got to try this.  Even without the sausage, I really enjoyed it.  Melt a tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Meanwhile, take one firm apple (e.g., Granny Smith or Gala), peel, core, and quarter it.  Cut each quarter in half width-wise and add to the pan, stirring occasionally until they are golden brown (about 15 minutes).  Remove them from the pan to a plate and keep warm.

Add another tablespoon of butter and two tablespoons of water to the skillet.  When the butter has melted, add approximately two (2) cups of kale (or chard), stems removed, and leaves cut into two in pieces.  I cheated by buying a bag of pre-cut, pre-washed kale and just grabbed a couple of handfuls.  Sauté, stirring occasionally, for about five minutes, until the kale is bright green and wilted.  

Next, add 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt.  Return the apple to the pan and add one pre-cooked sweet potato, cut lengthwise into quarters and then into 1/8 inch slices.*  It is at this point I would recommend added some browned, ground, hot italian sausage to the party to spice things up.  Cook until the dish is heated through, and fold in a palmful of coarsely chopped parsley.

 

I was concerned about having both sweet potatoes and apples - wouldn't the dish be too sweet?  I'm happy to report that wasn't the case.  The greens are a little bitter (in the best sense), the sweet potatoes are smooth and sweet in that roasted/caramelized  sort of way, and the apples are tart.  Like I said, there's crunchy, smooth, tart, sweet, bitter - the only thing that could round this dish out would be some spicy, slightly salty sausage.  Give a it a chance - it might surprise you!

* A word about the sweet potatoes.  The recipe's author advised that the sweet potatoes be cooked and kept warm.  Doing this did not work out so well for me.  As you can see, the dish became sauteed greens and apples with mashed sweet potatoes.  It still tasted great, but didn't look as pretty.  If you cook them first before you start prepping anything else, they'll be cooked, and slightly cooled by the time you need to use them.  Either peel and cut them as described above, toss lightly with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast at 425F for 20 minutes, OR, jab a sweet potato five or six times with a fork, places on the middle rack of a cold oven, turn the heat to 450F, and remove from the oven after 45 minutes have passed.  Cut lengthwise, scoop out the inside, and then cut.

Alton Brown's Purple Smoothie (part of this complete breakfast!)

 Last week, the food blogging scene was abuzz with the success of the first annual food blogging camp  at Club Med Ixtapa.  Attendees benefitted from small workshops with food writers, food stylists, photographers, and chefs, including Michael Ruhlman, Matt Armendariz, and David Lebovitz.  While I did not go (err...as you can see by the quality of the lead photo to this post - I need to do a better job rinsing that glass!), I wished that I had, envying their chance to slowly sip tropical drinks adorned with little umbrellas while listening to the soft lapping of ocean waves on the beach.  Sigh.

Alas, lately I have been spending my days in a window-less room reviewing documents to be shared in a class action lawsuit, so I have to get my kicks where I can.  I cannot bring the beach to me, but I can put a fruity drink in my hand.  I swapped the little umbrella for an awesome curly straw (courtesy of my friends Tim and Ben, who decided that when it came time for me to celebrate passing the bar exam, regular drinks and regular straws just would not do.  Thanks, guys.) and left out the hard stuff (to keep this drink weekday morning-friendly), although you could certainly add whatever you like. 

Taking a page out of Eugenia Bone's book, I have portioned this smoothie recipe into single servings so this fruity concoction can be enjoyed on a moment's notice (especially early in the day when I might be less inclined to mix and measure, as easy as it may be).  It should be noted that this recipe, as much as any smoothie is a recipe, comes courtesy of Alton Brown, although I have adapted slightly. 

Into freezer-safe containers, combine 2 ounces (by weight) each of frozen strawberries, blueberries, and peaches.  Mango might be a nice substitute, but for the sake of convenience, I might shy away from the seedier fruits, such as raspberries and blackberries.  Next, add 2 ounces (by weight) of banana (roughly half of a banana) broken into bite-sized pieces (your blender will thank you).  Then add 2 ounces (by weight) of any purple fruit juice.  Try acai juice, which comes from the fruit of a species of palm tree (every time it's mentioned, all I can hear is Will Ferrell from Zoolander saying "It's so hot right now."), trendy pomegranate juice, or the old-reliable grape juice (which is what I used because it's waaaay cheaper than the other two). 

Seal and save in the freezer until you're in need of a 10 minute tropical getaway.  I let a bag partially defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then blend it (slowly at first to help grind up the big chunks of fruit, then at a higher speed for 30-60 seconds), adding milk (or soy milk for protein, but milk is cheaper, and I'm all about cheap right now) until the smoothie reaches my desired consistency.

Speaking of cheap...this smoothie is cheap!

CHEAP EATS: Making your own freezer-ready smoothie mix will save you money right off the bat - it's cheaper than the frozen bags of smoothie mixes you can buy at the store, and certainly much less expensive (and arguably better for you) than anything you could buy at a national smoothie chain.  I recommend buying pre-frozen fruit (with the exception of bananas) over buying fresh fruit and freezing it yourself.  Frozen fruit is already picked at its peak and frozen immediately, so sometimes the quality can be even better than berries you might find in your produce section, say, in the dead of winter.

But get this!  The first time I made this, I went to my local Publix to pick up bags of frozen fruit at $3.99 a pop.  But while I was strolling up and down the isles of Whole Foods (isn't that just so relaxing?), I discovered that their frozen fruit was - wait for it - nearly $2.00 cheaper per bag!  Who saw that coming?  I did not.  All in all, this drink is about $1.60 per serving!  So get yourself some fruit and pull out your blender!  You need a $1.60 vacation!