Grilled Sweet Potatoes

As long as you’re grilling why not throw on some sweet potatoes.  Slice them anywhere from an eighth to a quarter inch thick then toss with a little bit of olive oil, and your spices of choice.  If you don’t want to think too hard use the Lawry’s, yes, it’s as great as you remember.  Otherwise salt and just about anything works, granulated garlic, cumin, or paprika are all good.  Because the sweet potatoes take up so much room on the grill it’s best to get them on before your main course then when they are nicely browned on both sides you can stack them to the side or on a rack above and the indirect heat will finish them off.  Great the next day in a salad too.

Mussels Marinara

One of my favorite summer dishes, Mussels Marinara doesn’t take much more to prepare than steaming the mussels.  Start by sautéing a chopped shallot and a couple cloves of garlic in a little bit of olive oil.  Add a small bottle of clam juice, clam stock, or white wine to the pot and bring to a boil.  Add the mussels and cover until they open, then cook for an additional two minutes.  If you’re going to serve over pasta add a full jar of your favorite marinara sauce, half a jar if not, then toss a bit, turn the heat down to medium, and replace the cover.  You should be ready to go in less than five minutes.  Sprinkle some chopped parsley, scallion greens, or chives over the top when serving.  And make sure you load up those bowls with lots of sauce whether for the noodles or a fresh baguette. 

Fresh Corn Saute

I think this is it, corn on the cob at the market, summer is definitely close.  And it doesn’t take much effort to enjoy it.  While getting your olive oil hot in a saute pan shuck the corn making sure that when you break off the stalk you leave yourself a flat end.  Individually stand each cob up in a salad bowl stalk side down and while holding the tip slice off the kernals with a chef’s knife rotating as you go.  Once you’ve removed all the corn from the cobs pour them into your hot pan and saute for a few minutes.  Add some kosher salt, pepper, and two cloves of chopped garlic and sauté for another couple of minutes…you can’t undercook it.  You could stir in some chopped basil, cilantro, or chives, in fact this time around I added some chive pesto I happen to have around but it’s delicious simply with the garlic.  Eat it while you can, we’ve waited six months for this.

Don't Forget to Eat Your Carrots

I don't know why we don't eat more carrots? There's always a bag hanging out in the back of the veggie drawer and they're so good and easy to make. Here's a couple of quick ways to make your carrots feel more important, sauteed with garlic, and herb roasted. For the sautee, wash and slice your carrots at an angle, sautee in a hot pan with some extra virgin olive oil for five minutes stirring often, add some sliced garlic, sautee for another couple of minutes, and salt to taste.   Alternatively for the roast carrots, preheat your oven to 400, wash and cut the carrots into three inch lengths then quarter each length. Toss them together in a large bowl with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil, your favorite dried herb, and some kosher salt and pepper to taste. Spread them on a piece of parchment or directly onto your cookie sheet and bake. Give them a little toss around after about 25 minutes then bake for another 25 minutes. Not bad...right?

Barley Risotto with Edamame and Artichokes

I’m not sure after this one I’ll ever use rice again for my risotto, I liked the consistency and mouth feel of the barley so much better.  I made it just as I would a rice risotto.  I started by sautéing a chopped shallot in a large pan with some extra virgin olive oil and, or, a quarter stick of butter.  Then after a few minutes, two chopped garlic cloves.  If you have an open bottle of white wine add a half a cup and cook until it is nearly absorbed, if not, use the juice from half a lemon.  Pour in some more oil and, or, another quarter stick of butter, melt, and pour in a cup of uncooked barley and stir around to coat.     

Time to add the liquid.  Along with the two and a half cups of water I like to add some vegetable or mushroom stock for flavor but it isn't critical.  Better Than Bullion is a great choice.  Turn up the heat, stir, and lower to a simmer once it reaches a boil.  It is best to stir occasionally for the thirty to forty five minutes it takes for the barley to reach the desired consistency.  This time around I added some edamame out of the pods from the frozen food section that I defrosted, a can of artichoke hearts I rinsed and chopped, some fresh chopped chives, lots of grated parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste.  However the combinations are endless, peas, scallions, sautéed mushrooms, asparagus, cooked bacon, and spinach to name a few.  I often browse epicurious.com for ideas, just search on risotto. 

Greek Wheatberry Salad

It was about two years ago I stumbled onto wheatberries and have been a fan ever since.  They’re as simple to make as pasta, incredibly versatile hot or cold, and really good for you.  For this Greek interpretation I boiled a cup of wheatberries for forty five minutes, drained, let cool, then combined with extra virgin olive oil, sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, and Kalamata olives along with some crumbled feta and salt and pepper to taste.  Try them hot with sautéed mushrooms, onions, and garlic, or as a main course with diced chicken, capers and lemon.  Did I mention the chew…love it.

Spice Rubbed Flank Steak

A tasty way to prepare a piece of meat or fish is to use a spice rub, and it couldn’t be any easier.  No matter what spices I use I always start with about a one to five mixture of salt to sugar depending on how much rub I need.  As I was only grilling a steak flank last night it worked out to about a half teaspoon of salt to one and a half tablespoons of sugar.  I was thinking Mexican so in addition I mixed in a tablespoon of chili powder and a few pinches of cayenne pepper.  I dusted both sides of the flank steak then rubbed it in with my hands making sure that the surface of the meat was completely covered with the spice mix.  That’s it, not even any need to prepare in advance.  I served the sliced steak with my favorite salsa verde and roasted cauliflower that I rubbed with some cumin powder, celery seed, and salt after tossing with a little bit of olive oil.  No need for the sugar on the veggies.  Happy Grillin’!

Asparagus Lemon Pesto

Asparagus means spring...and an asparagus, lemon pesto.  Using your Cuisinart start with a handful of pine nuts, blend, add kosher salt and a couple of garlic cloves, then blend again.  Cut off and discard the lower inch of your asparagus spears then remove the top third closest to the tips and save for later.  Chop the remaining lengths into one inch pieces and add them to the Cuisinart with some lemon zest.  Start the Cuisinart and add a slow drizzle of extra virgin olive oil into the top opening until you end up with a creamy, not coarse, consistency.  Add the juice from about a third of a lemon as well as a half a cup of grated parmesan, pulse, salt to taste, pulse, done.  While your pasta is cooking sauté the asparagus tips in a little bit of olive oil and toss together with your cooked pasta and pesto, garnish with some more grated parmesan before serving.  BTW, tried some whole wheat spaghetti noodles for this dish and they were really good…give ‘em a try.

Fennel, Potato, Arugula Salad

I’m a long time fennelholic, and I don’t consider it a problem at all.  I love it plain, roasted, braised, or most often in a salad.  To prepare I find it easiest to first cut away any fronds from the top of the bulb, slice in half the long way, peel away the course outer layer, then slice thinly.  This time I around I tossed it with some chopped arugula, left over roasted potato slices, and a lemon vinaigrette.  Most often however I simply serve it with some shaved parmesan, extra virgin olive oil, and kosher salt.  And as summer is not far off, it’s also great combined with a sliced plum.

Guacamole Chicken

Guacamole isn’t just for chips or nachos, as a condiment it makes for an easy way to change up your grilled chicken, pork, or steak.  I prefer my guacamole clean with chopped jalapeno, kosher salt, white pepper, and lime juice.  However, a few tablespoons of your favorite jarred salsa works in a pinch.  Last night I dusted my chicken thighs with chili powder and salt before grilling.  It doesn’t get any easier to avert a boring dinner when you aren’t up for making much of an effort. 

General Tso's Tofu

I have found that no matter how I’m going to prepare tofu it’s best to start by crisping it up first.  Remove the firm tofu from the package and let it drain for at least twenty minutes by simply standing it up on a plate so the water can run out.  Heat a little vegetable oil in a pan, slice your tofu, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  When your oil is hot toss a few slices of tofu at a time in a bowl of flour knocking off any excess flour before frying.  Make sure you don’t crowd them in the pan as you want them golden brown on both sides, it should take about four or five minutes per side.  Once cooked set them on a paper bag to drain. 

Last night I sautéed some vegetables, added a jar of Trader Joe’s General Tso’s sauce, then when the sauce was hot I stirred in the cooked tofu, simmered for five minutes, and served with rice.  Black bean sauce is another favorite convenience item I buy locally.  The tofu is also great right out of the hot oil with chopped scallions and soy sauce or your favorite hot sauce.  Not sure I've ever had anything that's been fried in oil that I didn't like.

Quinoa with Tomatoes and Scallions

There’s a lot about Quinoa I really like, short cooking time, great texture, flavor, and super versatile…not to mention the fact that it’s super healthy.  You prepare it as you would rice but with one and a half cups of salted water to one cup of Quinoa.  Simply bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cover for fifteen minutes.  Last night I stirred in some chopped tomatoes and scallions at the end and let it sit for five minutes with the heat off before serving.  It’s endless what else would have worked, mushrooms, celery, bell peppers, pine nuts, olives, dried cranberries, mint, or feta…great opportunity to get creative…and use that can of palm hearts that’s been on the shelf of your pantry for years.