Edamame, Rice and Corn Salad

This delicious salad was introduced to me by my cooking friend, Kristen Morefield.  She is a friend that is a delight to have around.  We sometimes get together for lunch or breakfast and share our leftovers and talk about all the yummy food we have been eating/making or hope to eat/make.  This salad has become a common appearance on our table.  It's fast, it's light, it's delicious!  You can also find all the ingredients at Trader Joes, which makes it easy to stock up on ingredients and pull out for a quick meal. Enjoy! I'll thank Kristen for you. :)  

Edamame, Rice & Corn Salad

Salad:

1 bag (12 oz) frozen shelled edamame

1 bag (16 oz) frozen corn or 4 corn on the cob, cooked, and kernels removed

2 1/2 cups cooked brown rice or 1 bag frozen cooked brown rice (about 2 1/2 cups)

4 oz sliced almonds

3/4 cup small diced celery

4 scallions, chopped

1 cup dried cranberries

Dressing:

6 Tblsp canola oil

3 Tblsp rice vinegar (not seasoned)

1-2 Tblsp lemon juice

Bunch of fresh basil, chopped (about 15-20 leaves)

salt & pepper to taste

Thaw edamame and corn for 30 minutes (and rice if using frozen rice) on counter top.  Mix all salad ingredients in medium bowl.  Mix all dressing ingredients in container and shake.  Pour dressing over salad ingredients and stir.  Add more salt & pepper to taste.  Serve room temp or chilled.

Serves 4-5

Strawberry Tart

Every year I take my kids strawberry picking.  There is nothing quite like being in the strawberry fields with juice dripping down your chin because you can't get enough of that taste.  According to my son he thinks the warm strawberries taste like strawberry pie.  They certainly can stand on their own with juicy sweetness! The taste is incomparable to any store bought strawberry.  They most definitely melt in your mouth.  For whatever the reason, I find great satisfaction in hand choosing every single strawberry in my basket and making sure it is the absolute best.  Now the ones my two year old picks is another story.  Since you are picking them at their peak, you better eat them fast because they won't last long.  This tart is one of our favorites to make after we have our baskets full.  It does take quite a few strawberries that are all relatively the same size, so having more on hand than the recipe calls for is ideal.  Now go get out in those fields and experience your own strawberry pie! Enjoy!

Strawberry Tart

Crust:

1 ¼ cups flour, spooned and leveled

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces

1/3 cup sugar 

1/4 tsp salt  

Filling:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sugar

2 lbs strawberries, hulled and halved

1/8 cup apple jelly or red currant jelly

Crust:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a food processor, blend flour, butter, sugar, and salt until moist crumbs form when you pinch it together.  Transfer dough to a 9” round tart pan with a removable bottom.  With floured fingers, compress dough evenly into pan and up sides.  Dip a dry-measuring cup in flour, and use it to press dough firmly into bottom and against sides of pan.  Freeze crust until firm, 10-15 minutes.  Using a fork, prick crust all over.  Bake until golden, 20-25 min, pressing down gently once or twice with a spoon during baking if crust puffs up.  Cool completely in pan. (Note- Make sure you DO NOT over bake the crust.  It will get very crispy, which will be difficult to eat with the delicate strawberries.  Just make sure to take it out when it's golden.)

Filling:  In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, mix cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Spread mixture evenly in bottom of cooled baked crust (still in tart pan).  Starting from the outside of the circle, arrange strawberry halves, stemmed side down, in tight concentric circles on cream cheese (alternate cut strawberry side with each circle).  In a small saucepan, heat jelly on med-low until liquefied.  With a pastry brush gently brush strawberries with jelly and let set at least 20 minutes.  Chill in pan at least 1 hour (and up to 6 hours). Remove from pan just before serving.

Serves 8

*Adapted from Everyday Food

Goat Cheese, Leeks, Asparagus, Pancetta and Shiitake Mushroom Grilled Pizza

Whew!  That title is a mouthful.  But I wanted to make sure you knew all the goodness that goes into this pizza. And since spring is in the air, which means asparagus time, I thought this pizza showcased that vegetable quite nicely.  This pizza is cooked out on the grill, which makes it relatively fast to put together and serve.  The thinner the asparagus the better.  They are much more tender and dainty on top of a pizza.  The flavor combinations on this pizza are just delightful.  I'm a big fan of goat cheese, which gives the pizza a nice tang.  Make sure to trim the woody ends of the asparagus and to thoroughly clean the leeks before chopping.  I even made a special leek post below so you know exactly how to deal with them in case you are a newby to leeks.  You may not have the truffle oil in your pantry, but having tried the pizza with and without....if you make the extra effort to find some it is well worth it.  I just ran out of my own stock so I will be searching for some too. Enjoy and get outside and grill!

Goat Cheese, Leeks, Asparagus, Pancetta and Shiitake Mushroom Grilled Pizza

Pizza Dough 

1 cup warm water (about 110*)

1/4 tsp sugar

1 Tblsp active dry yeast

1 1/2 - 2 Tblsp olive oil, plus more for bowl

3-4 cups flour, plus more for dusting

1 1/2 tsp salt

            Stir the warm water, sugar, and yeast in a small bowl until yeast is dissolved. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add olive oil to yeast mixture & stir. Brush a large bowl with extra oil, and set aside. Put 3 cups flour and salt in mixer fitted with dough paddle. Add yeast mixture and mix until dough is smooth and slightly sticky to the touch. If the dough seems too sticky, add more flour 2 Tblsp at a time, mixing after each addition.

            Place dough in oiled bowl, cover with towel or plastic wrap, and let rise in warm draft free spot until doubled in bulk, about 40 minutes. Remove towel and punch down the dough. Cover and let rise again until doubled in bulk, about 30 minutes. Punch down dough again. Divide into two balls. (If not using right away, you can wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate up to one day or freeze up to one month. Make sure it has thawed before using.)

            On a lightly floured work surface, flatten each dough ball into a disk. Using a rolling pin, roll out to about a 13" circle or oval.  Prep grill and begin to heat.

For Pizza

2 Tblsp olive oil, plus more for brushing

2 large leeks, white & light green parts only, halved lengthwise, rinsed well, and cut into thin slices

8 oz shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and cut into 1/4" thick slices

8 oz very thin asparagus, woody bottoms trimmed and cut into 1 ½” pieces

1/4 cup white wine (or white grape juice)

1 Tblsp finely chopped fresh thyme, plus more for garnish

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

8-10 ounces goat cheese

4 oz pancetta, finely chopped

Truffle oil, for drizzling (optional)

Pizza Dough (recipe below)

            Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot. Add the leeks, cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and pancetta; cook until tender and juices have evaporated, about 4 minutes. Add the asparagus and wine (or grape juice); cook until the asparagus is bright green and crisp tender and wine has evaporated. Stir in thyme; season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

            Heat a grill until medium hot. Generously brush one side of the pizza dough with olive oil; grill, oiled side down, until the underside is golden brown and the top begins to bubble, 3-5 minutes. Quickly brush the top with olive oil; flip the crust. Top with a thin layer of cheese (the goat cheese chunks will melt as you are putting it on, and will become easier to spread once a little melted). Top with half of the asparagus mixture. Grill until the cheese is melted, the topping hot, and the crust is cooked through, 3-5 minutes more.

            Slide pizza onto cutting board. Season with salt & pepper. Sprinkle with more thyme and with a small amount of of truffle oil, if desired. Repeat and make more pizzas.

Makes enough for 2 - 13" pizzas

*Changed and adapted from Martha Stewart

Asparagus and Beef Puff Pastry Salad

I was first introduced to this recipe by my mother-in-law.  I can remember eating out on the patio in late spring eating this delicious salad.  It was fantastic, and quickly became a regular in our house.  I highly suggest you use grass fed beef as it's taste cannot be replaced.  Not to mention the fact that it most likely came from a happy cow grazing in open pasture (no stinky feed lot for me thank you).  If it is dry aged as well you will find it to be the most tender meat.  Dry aged is when they hang the beef for 2-4 weeks.  This does two magical things.  First, moisture is evaporated and gives it a more concentrated flavor.  Next, the beef's natural enzymes break down the connective tissue, which makes it oh so tender!  You won't find this meet in the supermarket though.  We get ours at our local farmer's market.  But it is worth it! We don't eat a lot of red meat around here, but when we do I want it to be well worth it.  I remember being a kid chewing on pieces of steak that never seemed to dissolve.  Which is one reason I didn't like beef as a child.  When it's not overcooked, grass fed & dry aged...you can have tender, flavorful, goodness in each bite.  The skirt steak is a little more of an affordable option.  But the Chateaubriand steak is 2nd to tenderness only to the filet mignon, so very tender!  Enjoy the salad!

Asparagus and Beef Puff Pastry Salad

1 sheet (I use Pepperidge Farms) puff pastry, defrosted, kept chilled

salt & pepper

3/4 lbs beef skirt steak or Chateaubriand steak, grass fed

2-3 Tblsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 sprigs rosemary, leaves removed & finely chopped

1 large bunch thin asparagus

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese or feta

1 large bunch (2/3 bag) spring salad mix

3 Tblsp balsamic vinegar (to taste)

Preheat oven to 400*.  Cut thawed puff pastry into 4 squares.  Arrange on a cookie sheet with parchment paper & sprinkle with a little salt & pepper.  Cook until golden brown, about 12 min.  Season steak with olive oil on both sides, garlic, rosemary, & salt/pepper. (If you are using the Chateaubriand steak you might need to cut the entire steak in half lengthwise, because it can be quite thick).  Press the garlic and rosemary into the meat a little so it will stay on.  

Heat grill to high.  Grill meat 3-4 min on each side with high heat.  Remove & let rest 10 min.  Trim bottoms of asparagus (the woody parts & discard) & drizzle with olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add asparagus to grill.  Turn until tender, about 4 min.  Remove and cut into large 2” pieces.  

On plate, place one baked puff pastry square.  Press the center in just a little so the salad won't come sliding off.  Place a handful of spring salad mix on top of puff pastry.  Drizzle with balsamic vinegar according to taste.  Slice steak thinly across grain into strips and place on top of lettuce.  Place asparagus pieces on top of steak.  Sprinkle crumbled blue cheese or feta on top of asparagus.  Plate other salads.  Season with salt and pepper and serve. 

Serves 4