Kale Caesar Salad

Lately, I have seen this item on menus, and can't help ordering it! I never thought I'd like kale cooked, let alone raw, but it's delicious. The contrast of the slightly bitter and tough leaf with the citrus of the lemony caesar dressing and the salty cheese is just awesome! And a great source of vitamins, to boot!

Ingredients:
Lascinato "Tuscan" Kale (Also sometimes called dinosaur kale- roar!)
Aged Parmesan or Pecorino Cheese, shaved
Croutons
salt & pepper

Dressing:
2 cloves of garlic, very finely mashed into a paste with 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (Half a lemon)
1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Generous tsp plus Worcestershire sauce (this helps fill in for the anchovy flavor, but really, there is no replacement- if you aren't adverse, just use anchovies!!)
2 tbsp mayonnaise (I use this instead of a raw egg.)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Oregano & Parsley

Whisk ingredients together, adding olive oil last. Adjust to taste.


Directions:
1. Remove the rib from the center of each kale leaf, fold, and then slice into thin ribbon strips (Chiffonade).
2. Whisk the dressing ingredients in a bowl and pour over the salad, toss thoroughly.
3. Top with the freshly shaved cheese, salt and pepper as needed, and croutons.

Baked Lemon and Garlic Tilapia with Buttery New Potatoes

What is better than a simple, quick, and incredibly delicious meal?! Nothing! This is a weeknight winner, and healthy to boot.


Ingredients:
1 Lemon
2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
Bread Crumbs
Butter
Oregano & Parsley
Pepper
Tilapia Filets

Directions:

Grease the bottom of a cooking pan, and set tilapia filets inside.

Sprinkle fish with breadcrumbs, oregano, parsley, and garlic.

Squeeze the juice of half a lemon on each piece and pour 2 tbsp melted butter on top.

Season with black pepper.

Bake at 375 for half an hour, or until fish flakes.

For the Potatoes:

Boil new potatoes, drain, and toss in melted butter and fresh cut chives.

French Onion Soup Gratinee

"Some people might be scared off by this recipe, but it's really easy!" Why they would be frightened, I'll never know, because soups are the simple way to go. And this one is super easy- cook onions in butter, douse with booze, and pour in some stock and simmer. Salt and pepper to taste.... and then cut up some crusty bread, put that on top, and melt some gruyere or swiss over the whole darn thing. Voila. Comfort in a bowl.

If you're more of a details person, check out the specifics below!! No matter how you make it, enjoy.

If you cook the onions right, which is low and slow, it will take about 2 hours total.

Ingredients:
1/2 stick butter
5-6 medium onions, or combination of onion-like things:
(2 yellow, 1 white, 2 red,  or use a shallot or some leek....)
1 container beef stock  and 1/4-1/2 of a second stock (chicken, or vegetable, or a blend)
Dry booze- sherry, white wine, red wine, or brandy, generous
salt & pepper
gruyere or swiss cheese
crusty bread for crouton

(If you're feeling fancy, throw some herbs or garlic in there just to go crazy with it.)


Directions:
Over low heat, melt the butter. Add the onions and cook slowly, stirring frequently. Don't let them stick and burn. After about 45 min-1 hour, add in the booze and turn up the heat to medium and allow to cook off. Add in the stock, turn down to a simmer, and let cook, about 20-30 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Turn the oven to broil. Put the soup in oven-safe bowls, top with the crouton, and melt the cheese, about 2 mins.

Serve with a caesar salad and more bread and enjoy!!

Tofu (Pork) in Adobo Sauce

Adobo Sauce: you beautiful, smoky, delicious-ness, you! I dream of you at night! And you are so simple to make.

Think barbecue sauce, but better.

I put it on tofu, Ry puts it on porkchops.

Found originally in the Dean & Deluca cookbook and tinkered with over the years.

Ingredients:
1 dried chipotle pepper
4 dried ancho chiles
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
6 tbsp orange juice
2 tbsp lime juice
1/4 cup minced onion
2 tbsp minced garlic
1/3 cup honey, to taste
salt to taste
1/2 tbsp mustard
pinch of cilantro

Directions:
Roast the dried peppers in the oven at 450 degrees until they are aromatic and puffy, about 3-5 minutes. Cut open and remove the stem and seeds. Place in a small bowl or cup of hot water, enough to cover the pepper skins. Let soak for about 30 minutes.

Remove the chilis, and set aside the liquid for later. Chop the chilis roughly, and place in food processor with 2 tbsp of the soaking liquid. Puree until smooth.

Add in the vinegar, OJ, line juice, onion, garlic, honey, mustard and salt. Taste and adjust the seasonings- adding more honey if the heat is too high, more soaking liquid if too thick, etc.

Grilling the tofu:

Buy an extra firm brand, and press out the water. Marinade for at least 30 minutes, and place on skewers. Prep the grill with oil or non-stick spray as the tofu has a tendency to stick. Grill about 5 minutes per side, brushing with extra marinade.

TLT: Tofu, Lettuce, and Tomato Sandwich

Ah, the BLT. I was never a fan of bacon even back in the day when I ate a lot of meat. But, I am a fan of the smoky flavor. So, when I came across this recipe, I thought... sheer brilliance!

Ingredients:
Beefsteak or vine Tomato
Green leaf lettuce
Tofu: patted dry and sliced very thin.
Barbecue Sauce or Adobo Sauce
Mayonnaise (Chipotle/Adobo and garlic mayo)
salt & pepper
Avocado (Optional)
French Bread

Directions:
Mix the mayonnaise and barbecue sauce together. Place the sliced tofu in a baking dish and coat top and bottom generously with mixture. Bake about 25 minutes. Assemble sandwiches, using a generous amount of mayo, the tofu, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and salt and pepper on the white bread.

Tomato Provencal

       
   Tomato is my favorite thing. Therefore, stuffing tomatoes with other delicious ingredients, is a very good thing. So, tonight's quick and easy dinner went like this...

Ingredients:
3-6 Medium tomatoes
salt and pepper
gruyere, parmesan, or other good melting cheese
1-2 small garlic cloves, minced
olive oil
herbs- Chives, green onion, parsley, oregano or basil
breadcrumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cut the top off each tomato and set aside. Scoop out the insides and the seeds into a bowl. Set the tomato shells into a baking dish.
In a small sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add in the garlic and herbs and sauté. Melt the cheese into the mixture.
Pour the hot mixture into the tomato shell, sprinkle with the bread crumbs, the salt and pepper, and a bit of olive oil. Set the tops into the dish with a little olive oil and cook those too, for about 25 minutes.

Twice Baked Potatoes

Ryan and I have been in a bit of a cooking rut- not that we haven't been cooking, but we haven't really been making anything new. So, in an attempt to spark the fire, I went searching for ideas. And twice baked potatoes got us up, out to the store, and cooking, lickety split. I mean, duuuuuuude.

Ingredients:
1 medium russet or idaho per person (or halve for a daintier portion or if a side)
olive oil
irish cheddar
chives
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 stick- 3/4 stick butter (Look, I eat mashed potatoes maybe 4 times a year. I'm doing it right.)
1 tbsp cream (optional)
salt and pepper
(bacon, if you like that sort of thing... or fakin'.. if you prefer....)


1. Clean the potatoes, stab all over with a fork, and rub olive oil on with your hands. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for about an hour, or until tender.

2. Allow to cool. Cut the top third off, and scoop out the inner flesh.

3. Mix into a bowl with the milk, sour cream, butter, cheese, and chives. Mash, or blend with a hand blender if desired.

4. Pour mixture back into potatoes and top with an additional flourish of cheese, chive, and salt and pepper.

5. Bake an additional 15- 20 minutes.