Vegetable 6: It ain't easy being greens

Being from the Midwest, I had no idea people even ate cooked greens until we moved to Florida and I encountered them on a few restaurant menus on my trip down here.  It was a bizarre concept to me...why in God's name would anyone want to eat warm, limp leaves?  I seem to remember at one time or another, my mom made me take a bite of her greens when we were out to eat (yes, I'm nearly 25 and my mom is still able to force me to eat my vegetables), but I don't recall their flavor or even what kind of greens they were.  Still...I figured for the purpose of my little experiment, they'd be worth a go.  Also...I have the beet greens leftover from when I made beets last time.  Waste not, want not!

Here's what you'll need:

Greens from about 3 beets

4 slices of bacon, chopped

4 green onions, chopped

salt and pepper

Well first things first...trim the stems off the leaves and chop those leaves into pieces.  Then rinse them thoroughly with cold water.  Shake as much of that water off as you can and set aside.

In a deep skillet, cook the bacon until crispy...be careful not to burn it!  Remove the bacon to a paper towel lined plate.  Drain all but 1 tbsp of grease from the skillet.  

Add the green onions and cook for approximately 1 minute.  Add the greens carefully and cook until tender.  This will take about 5 minutes.  Add the bacon back to the greens and serve...add salt and pepper to taste.

As you know, anything with bacon is aces in my book, but this one was a little less than great.  The greens were too bitter for my taste.  Now, I'll be the first to admit that it could have been an error on my part, or even just a bad batch of greens...but nonetheless, we probably won't be trying beet greens again anytime soon.  Perhaps next time we'll try a more 'user friendly' green like kale or collard greens.

Vegetable 5: Beet It!

Well, if you're like me, the only beets you've had in your life came out of a can.  Well canned or fresh, they are definitely a unique vegetable.  The root of the beet plant is packed with color as well as nutrients!  Beets contain folate, beta carotene, and potassium to name a few.  Beets were even used by the Ancient Romans to treat certain ailments.

So...on to the food cooking!

For this recipe, I deferred to an old favorite of ours to soften the blow of introducing yet another new vegetable to our table...risotto!  Now, for those of you who are particular about your risotto and only eat it from fancy-pants restaurants...pretend I didn't call it risotto and just roll with it.

First I roasted the beets in the oven.  Roasting makes the root soft and really develops the flavor.  I didn't add ANYTHING to the beets.  Their natural sweetness doesn't need any enhancement.  I simply scrubbed them, trimmed the ends and wrapped them in foil.  Bake in a preheated the oven to 425 for about 45 minutes (you may have to leave them longer if you have especially large beets).  When they are finished, set them aside and let them cool in the foil until you can safely handle them.  Dice them into bite sized cubes and set aside.

While your beets are roasting, make the rice.  In a saucepan, bring 4 cups broth to a simmer.  Traditionally, you would use chicken broth but I used vegetable broth since Aaron is allergic to chicken...use whichever you like. In a skillet, add 3 tbsp butter and let it melt over medium heat.  Add 1 small diced onion and cook until soft.  Add 1 cup of rice (risotto is made with Arborio rice, but we use jasmine rice...we're on a budget in this house!).  Stir to coat the rice.  Add 1/2 cup white wine.  Allow the rice to cook until most of the wine is absorbed.  Add the broth, one cup at a time and allow each cup to be absorbed before adding the next.  Once the rice is cooked through, add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and mix well.  Top with diced beets and serve.

Well the rice definitely made this a well received dish...the beets are a unique flavor, and I can honestly say that we'd be willing to try this one again.  However, I wasn't a fan of how pink my fingers were by the end of the night!

Ingredients:
Approximately 1 lb. fresh beet root
4 cups broth (veg. or chicken)
3 tbsp butter
1 small onion
1 cup rice
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Vegetable Four: Artichokes

For my fourth vegetable, I chose artichokes.  They've always intrigued me...nestled and pretty in the cooler of the produce section.  I've had them mixed into dips before, but those don't count...they come out of a can.  So naturally, I grabbed two of them and headed home to figure out how to cook these little beauties.

After a bit of research on the subject of cooking and eating artichokes I learned a couple of things.  First, you don't eat the whole thing...you don't even eat the whole leaf.  You are supposed to scrape the 'meat' of the leaf off by sliding the leaf between your teeth.  Second...those suckers have little sharp points on them.  That would certainly explain why I felt like I was juggling with rose bushes when I was putting them away.  So lesson learned...handle with care!

The most popular preparation seemed to be steaming the artichoke whole and dipping the leaves in a butter sauce and eating them as mentioned above.  Steamed...butter sauce...I'm in.

The first step to preparing your artichokes is to snip those pesky sharp points off of the leaves using kitchen shears.  If you don't want to do this, apparently it's not necessary since they should get tender after being steamed...but I wasn't about to take any chances.  Plus, the snipped edges look prettier in my opinion and you know what they say...you eat with your eyes first!

So once the tips are snipped, rinse them well with cold water.  Fill a large pot with a couple of inches of water and add a steamer basket.  To the steaming water, for a little extra flavor, you can add lemon juice and minced garlic.  Place the artichokes, cut side up, in the basket.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and leave them alone for 25-45 minutes (depending on the size of the artichokes).

**note...I do not own a steamer basket.  Shame, shame on me, yes I know...but I don't.  So...I 'made' one by making two foil 'snakes' and forming a circle with them.  Just big enough to rest the artichokes in without submerging them in the water.**

Meanwhile, you can prepare a butter sauce for dipping.  For mine, I melted 1/2 stick of butter in the microwave.  Mix in 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp italian herb mixture, 1/2 tsp lemon juice.  Mix well and let it sit so the flavors can marinate.

Once your artichokes are tender, remove from the steamer.  Since you'll be handling them with your fingers, I'd recommend letting them cool for a few minutes.  While they cool, go ahead and zap the butter sauce in the microwave for about 10 seconds so it's nice and hot for dipping.

To be perfectly honest, this wasn't my favorite.  It was *okay*...not something I'll probably repeat.  I felt the artichokes were tedious to eat and while I love the flavor of butter, I'm quite certain that dunking my veggies in it is a bad idea.  So...I cooked, I tasted...and I'm moving on...  I would still encourage you to try this recipe or at the very least try this vegetable...you may like it.  I always encourage a little adventure in the kitchen...it doesn't always end in a rave review!

Leftover Makeover

Well yesterday was a big day for our little family. Ayden was baptized! You wouldn't believe the amount of time that goes into getting ready for a 15 minute ceremony and a cake and punch reception! Since I knew by the time the day was over, we'd come home and be tired and hungry and I would have no desire to cook. Since we're avoiding the drive thru, I chose a crock pot meal. I threw a pot roast in the crock pot and set it to low so that we'd come home to tender beefy goodness. Well plans changed, as they often do, and we ended up having dinner at my in-laws' house and I came home to a slightly dry but still flavorful beef roast. I threw it in the fridge and figured I'd do something with it later.

For dinner tonight I pondered what to do with the tasty leftover meat I had in the fridge. There was just too much to waste but unfortunately I had yet to go grocery shopping so many of my go-to items were not in the house...no onions, no potatoes...my fridge and pantry is looking pretty bare. So, I scrounged for what we have on hand...I had two poblano peppers that needed to be used, some swiss cheese from the deli that didn't have any lunch meat to go with it, some canned biscuits that were about to expire and a packet of onion soup mix. **Lightbulb!**

Now, mind you, this isn't a stellar recipe that I would put out for company...but for two people who are just trying not to waste food, it's pretty darn good. I started by throwing a pat of butter in a large sauce pan and melting it down. I whisked in about 2 tbps of flour until it was a paste. Then I stirred in gradually some beef stock (if you don't have any on hand, water or veggie stock will work fine). To that I added the packet of onion soup mix. I simmered this while I shredded the meat. After adding the meat to the soup mixture, I went to work cutting the peppers into thin strips. In a sautee pan, I cooked the pepper strips with a little bit of olive oil until they were tender. Meanwhile, bake your biscuits according to package instructions. (Usually you bake for about 15 minutes in a 350 oven). Once the biscuits are done, everything else should be ready to go as well. Split your biscuit and top with the shredded beef (be sure to use a slotted spoon or tongs for this or you will get too much liquid and the biscuit will be soggy), peppers and swiss cheese. If you want your cheese ooey-gooey, pop the whole thing in the toaster oven for a few minutes. Serve along side your favorite veggies or perhaps a fresh tossed salad and you have a pretty easy dinner!

 1 tbsp butter
 2 tbsp flour
 2 cups beef broth
 1 packet onion soup mix
 1-2 lbs leftover shredded beef roast
 2 poblano peppers
 1 tbsp olive oil
 8 slices of swiss cheese
 1 can of biscuits
 salt and pepper to taste

1. Melt butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Whisk in flour to form a paste. Add broth and stir until paste is dissolved into broth. Add soup mix packet. Add beef and bring to a simmer.

 2. Preheat oven to 350. Place biscuits onto a baking sheet and cook until done (according to package directions).

 3. Cut poblano into strips. Sautee over medium-high heat until tender.

 4. Once done, split biscuit in half and top with meat, pepper and cheese. Serve hot.

Lazy Leftovers

As you know, last night I had a TON of the stuffing mixture leftover from my stuffed peppers. Well in an effort to reduce waste and retain money...I'm remaking them into lunch today.

Since it's a mix of meat, beans, corn, rice and salsa I naturally decided to go with a Mexican theme and decided to make quesadillas. Quick and easy...my kind of meal.

1 cup of leftover stuffing mixture
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1/4 cup sliced onion
1/4 cup crushed chips (tortilla, doritos...whatever you have to add a little crunch)
2 large flour tortillas
cooking spray

Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat.

Add first tortilla to the skillet. Layer 1/2 of the shredded cheese followed by the mixture, onions and remainder of the cheese. Top with the other tortilla.

Once the bottom is browned, flip...do so carefully...if you need to, use two spatulas.

Brown the other side and slide out of the skillet and onto a plate...cut into wedges.

Serve with whatever toppings you like on your quesadillas...salsa, sour cream, fresh veggies...the list goes on...

Veggie Three!

For the third vegetable in my series I chose Poblano Peppers. Most people are more familiar with bell peppers...poblanos are the bell peppers slightly more spicy, Italian cousin. In order to let these green beauties take center stage, I chose to stuff them with yummyness!

I would like to note that this recipe could very easily go vegetarian...simply leave out the ground beef. You could also sub in another meat if ground beef isn't your thing...it's perfect if you have some left over meat that you need to use up.

4 poblano peppers
1 lb ground beef
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
2 cups salsa (whatever kind you prefer)
1 small onion, diced
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 can corn
1 tsp cumin
1 tps cayene
salt and pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1. Cut all peppers in half, lengthwise. Place face down on a baking sheet and broil on high until slightly charred. Time for this will vary based on your oven, so just keep an eye on them. I used my toaster oven and it took about 11 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet on medium heat. Add the ground beef, onion, and spices and cook until beef is thoroughly browned. Once the meat is cooked through, add bean, corn, salsa and rice. Stir occasionally to ensure nothing burns or sticks.

3. Once the peppers are charred, pull them out of the oven and carefully, using tongs, flip them cut side up.




4. Add cheese to rice mixture, reserving a small portion for the tops of the stuffed peppers. Stir well until cheese is melted.

5. Spoon mixture into the peppers. Top with a small sprinkle of cheese. Pop them back into the oven for a few minutes just to melt the cheese. Serve while hot and enjoy!



Now for mine, I only made two peppers and I had TONS of mixture left over. I would imagine, unless you have huge peppers, that even filling all four, you'll probably have some left over. It's really tasty all on its own, but I plan to use mine as burrito filling for lunch tomorrow...just going to add some fresh lettuce and tomato.

Vegetable Deux

I have a confession to make. I hate to do so but I feel I must be honest with you...I cheated on this challenge. Today, I made green beans...which I'm not at all unfamiliar with. However, I submit to you that I am RE-discovering them as they have been the most loathsome vegetable known to man in my mind for many years. I have tried all kinds of recipes that have only made them just barely palatable...until today. I think I've officially been converted to a *gasp* green bean lover.

First of all, I am of the mindset that ANYTHING is good with bacon. If you don't agree, close this window and never return...you're dead to me. All joking aside, bacon in all its tasty glory will add great flavor to any dish. For this recipe, I chose to throw in some onion as well...bacon and onion are a delicious combination.

What you need:
1/2 lb. green beans, washed and trimmed
3-4 slices of bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 of a yellow onion, cut into slices
4 tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper

Heat a skillet to medium-high heat. Once heated, add the bacon and let it cook for about 3 minutes or until just opaque. Add the onion and olive oil and toss to coat (or if you're less adept at tossing in your skillet...stirring it will do just fine).

Let that cook for approximately 5 minutes or until the bacon starts to get crispy. Add the green beans and mix well with bacon and onion. If your beans are looking a little dry, you can drizzle with a bit more olive oil, but use it sparingly since greasy beans aren't very tasty.

My beans took about 8-10 minutes to cook through without being mushy. Your cook time here may vary based on how thick the beans are and how long you left them. When in doubt, just pull one out, let it cool a bit and test it.

Add salt and pepper and mix well...then serve. The bacon and onion for these should be nice and crispy by the time the beans are done, so it adds the perfect crunch and flavor! Enjoy!

Challenge Accepted: Parsnips

So in my last post, I told you all about my challenge to myself to try new vegetables this month. Well today is...parsnips!!!

Parsnips are a root vegetable very similar to carrots. They are a little sweeter and almost white in color. For this challenge, I chose to roast them since sources seemed to agree that they were best that way, although you can mash them like potatoes or steam them.

Roasted Parsnips with Horseradish Butter Sauce (adapted from recipe by SimplyRecipes)
1 lb. parsnips
3 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
3 tbsp butter, melted
2 tbsp horseradish
1/2 tsp dried chives
1/2 tsp garlic powder

1. Preheat oven to 350. Peel and cut your parsnips. I cut mine into strips and discarded the woody centers from the larger parsnips. Toss in olive oil, salt and pepper. Add to a baking dish and spread evenly. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for about 50 minutes, tossing halfway through to ensure even cooking.

2. Meanwhile, melt butter and add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

3. When parsnips are cooked through, spoon butter sauce over them and serve. Enjoy!

Easy of preparation: a monkey could do this.
Total time: 1 hour and 10 minutes, approximately.
Taste verdict: Pretty darn tasty. They definitely taste a lot like carrots, but milder on the flavor and slightly sweeter. I was skeptical about the sauce since horseradish isn't my favorite, but it just added a nice tang to the sauce that balanced out the sweetness of the parsnips and the richness of the butter.

Also...you should meet one of my many kitchen companions. Below is Mini, our 6 year old Doxie. For the most part, she and her cohort, Cappie (our 1 year old Doxie) sit at the edge of the kitchen...but when food hits the floor they're a faster cleanup crew than pit crews in NASCAR.