Unstuffed Baked Sweet Potato with Polenta Portabella Ragout

I was feeling in the mood for a light dinner and since it's tax season, it's usually dinner for just me. But I somewhat enjoy making myself dinner, thinking up creative things & this dinner just kept giving me more ideas as I was going on. It started with just a baked sweet potato with sour cream, scallions, and sauteed onions. But then I added fresh spinach, mushrooms (tax season is when I can enjoy mushrooms the most since Avi won't touch it!). Then I saw my trusty log of Polenta in the pantry and decided to cube it and add it to the "ragu." This way it's hearty enough yet light at the same time. I've modified the recipe for 2.

Unstuffed Baked Sweet Potato with Polenta Portabella Ragout
-2 sweet potatoes
-1 onion, diced
-3 cups fresh spinach
-1 large portabella mushroom cap, cut into cubes
-1/2 a polenta log, cut into cubes
-olive oil, salt, pepper
-Sour cream or Earth Balance for the sweet potato
-Chopped green onion

-Pierce a sweet potato with a fork or knife a few times, wrap in tin foil & bake in a 400 degree oven for 30-40 minutes.
-Saute 1 small onion in a few drizzles of olive oil, add salt, pepper, and a sprinkle of sugar. Saute on medium-low so that the onions slightly caramelize. Add 1/2 a chopped portabella mushroom cap, stirring, adding a touch more oil if necessary.
-Push the mushroom/onion mixture to one side of the pan and add the polenta, and season the cubes with salt & pepper. Let it get brown before tossing/turning them (it might be annoying to start turning each cube so just move them around in the pan after a few minutes of sauteeing on one side)
-Add the spinach, roughly chopped, to the onion/mushroom and saute just until wilted. Incorporate the polenta. Season with more salt & pepper to taste.
-When the sweet potato is done, carefully make a slice down the middle, not going all the way through and push the sweet potato open. Season with salt, pepper, green onions, & sour cream on the side :-)

I am off to eat!! (again, sorry about my phone pictures, terrible quality.. Waiting for an Iphone so that my blog pictures don't look so sad! I take pics with my regular camera but when I want to post immediately, I have no patience for uploading!)

E

Simple Pasta Lunch

It's not hard to make pasta stand out with a simple & delicious sauce, it totally transforms it. I bought heavy cream a few weeks ago, but being that it isn't the type of thing you use daily, I froze 1/4 cup increments in Ziploc bags, & then when I want it, I let it defrost. Today I microwaved it in a bowl for 45 seconds and then stirred it & it was ready to go (because I forgot to take it out). I used fresh baby spinach, but any green can work (arugula, kale...) or even frozen if that's all you have. It just ups the ante by adding in some green at the last minute. You can use any shape pasta that you have, even spaghetti or angel hair, but I used Rotini (corkscrews).

Rotini with Pink Sauce & Spinach
-3 cups cooked Rotini pasta (I use Barilla Plus)
-1/4 cup chopped red onion
-2 garlic cloves, cut only in half
-salt & pepper
-1/4 - 1/2 cup "light" heavy cream
-1/4 cup marinara sauce
-1 tbsp. prepared pesto
-4 cups roughly chopped spinach
-Lemon zest & parsley, for garnish (optional)

-Heat some olive oil in a large saute pan, & immediately add the halved garlic cloves (you'll be taking them out). Add the chopped onion & saute, sprinkle some salt & black pepper.
-Once the onions are sauteed a few minutes, lower the heat to medium-low, pour the cream in, & stir. Take the garlic out & discard.
-Slowly raise the heat again to medium/medium-high, & add in the marinara & pesto.
-Add freshly ground black pepper & a pinch of salt
-Continue stirring, & then add the spinach off the fire. Continue stirring until it wilts down, and finally add the pasta in.
-Top with chopped parsley & lemon zest (optional)

(Sorry about the poor picture quality- it's from my phone)..

hmm, sorry it looks like a crime scene, it tasted soooo much better than it looks!

E

Sorry, Coffee Bar!

My next salad recipe is one that I get whenever I am at Coffee Bar in Lawrence when I am in the mood for a salad. I love a hearty salad, not just lettuce, tomato, and cucumber, rather one with enough substance to keep me full. I made it at home today for lunch, & it's perfect!!!! My dressing, though, comes from Ina Garten (if I remember correctly?) and not Coffee Bar, considering mayonnaise based dressings (what they mostly have) is by no means Greek! (P.S. black olives is the one thing I left out, because I didn't have any)

Greek Salad
-Romaine lettuce, washed & dried
-Hothouse cucumber (or kirby, whatever you have)
-Tomato
-1 hard boiled egg
-Feta Cheese
-Avocado (my addition)
-3 stuffed grape leaves (preferred brand: Galil)

Greek Vinaigrette
-1/2 tsp. dried oregano
-2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
-1/2 tsp. dijon mustard
-pinch of salt & pepper
-2 tbsp. olive oil

Whisk all the dressing ingredients & pour over the salad! ENJOY!

Spring Mix Salad with Grilled Polenta & Portabella Mushrooms

I decided to celebrate my return to blogging (after having blog "issues" & my Gmail account being "compromised" for a while) with this salad that I just made myself for lunch. It's not the easiest of salads to "throw together" but since it is my last day of vacation (school starts up again tonight), I decided to go "all out." Since the salad has a few components, I decided to make the dressing super simple, & I put it together all in the bottom of a bowl. That way you can easily toss all the ingredients with the dressing & be done. I added a few random ingredients from my fridge & I can't wait to delve into this salad...

-Spring Mix Salad Greens ("fancy greens"- I used about 1.5 cups or so for 1 salad)
-1/4 cup blueberries
-3 canned artichoke hearts
-1/4 avocado
-1 persian cucumber
-1 large portabella mushroom cap ("marinade": balsamic vinegar, olive oil, italian seasoning)
-4 slices of prepared polenta, cut in semicircles (I get it at Trader Joes, but I've seen it in some Kosher stores now, at Aron's yesterday. It is in a log form. Refrigerate it to firm it up, making it easier to cleanly slice)
-Sprinkle of craisins
-Dressing: lemon or lime juice, Kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper (or lemon pepper works great here too), dijon mustard, olive oil.

-Spray a grill pan & heat over medium-high.
-Slice the portabella cap to desired thickness, and place in a bowl. Drizzle some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and italian seasoning over the mushrooms & toss.
-When the pan is hot, add the mushrooms & let grill 1-2 minutes per side.
-In the meantime, slice the polenta, drizzle with some olive oil, salt & pepper
-When the mushrooms are done, transfer to a plate and re-spray the pan before adding in the polenta. I recommend letting the pan cool off a bit first, as polenta has a tendency to stick, especially if put on an extremely hot pan.
-Grill the polenta for also 1-2 minutes per side until golden brown and soft.
-Assemble the salad: in a large bowl, juice 1/2 of a large lemon (or a whole small lemon), which is about a tbsp. or 2 of lemon juice if you don't have fresh. Add a pinch or two of salt, and 2 turns of a pepper grinder. Squeeze in a bit of dijon mustard (about 1-2 tsps.) and whisk with a fork. While stirring, drizzle in a little bit of olive oil just to smoothen out the whole dressing. Add the greens directly into the dressing, along with the rest of the ingredients (chopped artichoke hearts craisins, cucumber, blueberries, and avocado). Toss well until the dressing is incorporated.
-Transfer to a plate & top with the grilled polenta and mushrooms.
-I topped mine with honey roasted peanuts just because ...when do they NOT go!

Try out this salad, it will do your stomach good!

E

Chinese Beef & Vegetable Stir Fry

If you are a frequenter of ordering in chinese, toss the take out containers & try this recipe! A while back I posted my version of Chinese chicken stir fry, but this time I used strip beef, & tweaked the sauce recipe a little. Don't get me wrong, I am a frequenter of the bottled teriyaki sauce as a quick fix (Trader Joe's makes 2 unbelievable Kosher sauces- 1. Soyaki 2. Island Soyaki, which is the regular Soyaki but with a twist of pineapple), but tonight I decided to do it from scratch.

You can use any kind of beef/steak, I used strip steak, which is so tender & not tough at all

Chinese Beef & Vegetable Stir Fry
-2 thing NY strip steaks, cut into medium-sized pieces, or chunks if thick
-Cornstarch
-Garlic powder, salt, and pepper
-Medley of vegetables of your choice (I used celery, carrot, collard greens (cut into ribbons), broccoli (blanched first), broccoli stalk (broccoli's best kept secret! Don't throw the stalk away, cut off the end, and then cut off the "branches" & peel until light green and smooth), orange pepper
-Sesame oil + canola oil
Sauce
-1/4 cup tamari sauce (preferred brand: San-J)
-2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
-3 tbsp. orange juice
-3 tbsp. honey
-1/2 tsp. lime juice
-Pinch of salt
-1/2 tbsp. garlic powder
-1 tbsp sesame seeds
-2 tsp. cornstarch

-Angel Hair pasta or cellophane noodles
-Garnishes: mango, chopped honey roasted peanuts, scallions

-Blanch the broccoli, or any other tough vegetable that you may be using (i.e. string beans)
-In a large Ziploc bag, add some cornstarch, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Put the steak pieces in the bag, close, and shake until all coated.
-Heat canola oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. When it's hot, place the pieces of meat into the oil and cook for a few minutes on both sides (if it's thin, it really won't take very long).
-In the meantime, combine all the ingredients for the sauce and stir
-Transfer the meat to a glass dish, & add the vegetables to the pan with a little sesame oil, & a pinch of salt.
-Saute 5-6 minutes until vegetables are softened
-Add the meat back in, & then pour the sauce over. Raise the heat to high and toss very well.
-Serve with angel hair pasta, or cellophane noodles, & top with optional garnishes of chopped scallions, honey roasted peanuts, & cubed mango.

It will be sure to please, I can guarantee it :-) Now, if only I could say that in Chinese!


E

P.S. I could imagine that red pepper flakes would fit in well here, but I am not a fan of them; feel free to add it in though!

VOTE!

Hey there!
Please vote for my blog in Joy of Kosher's "Best of Kosher" contest, which has many different Kosher categories. I can't link the personal link to vote for my blog but if you click on this hyperlink; it will take you to the blog category. Scroll down (I've got ways to go & people to beat!) & click on "vote" for That's What She Made!

Thank you!
E

Dijon Salmon Topped with Mashed Potatoes, & Sauteed Collard Greens with Garlic Chips (on the side)

I just realized that I missed my "blogaversary" which was November 14, it's been a great year of blogging and thank you to whoever you are out there who read it, regardless of the fact that I don't update constantly :-)

Anyways, consider this post a heaven sent meal in writing, if I may say so myself. We just finished eating & it was everything in one-all my priorities in a meal: easy, delicious, and most importantly, healthy. In January, I posted Potato Crusted Salmon which was basically thinly sliced red bliss potato layered on a filet of salmon. Let's call this an updated version of that. I saw the idea in Rachael Ray magazine but it could not have gotten more boring: "take mashed potatoes and put on top of a salmon filet. Bake." That was it! Well, I knew I was gonna make it and way better than RR! It's mashed potatoes, which is fairly simple, on top of the salmon, and hit the broiler at the very end for "the golden touch." If you don't already know, I could eat an entire bag / bunch of sauteed kale singlehandedly aside anything in the world for dinner. Here I used collard greens (when I think of collard greens I hear Paula Deen in my head, but it's just as versatile as spinach and kale alike). The best part about this dish is that it is super likely that you will have all the ingredients on hand- salmon in the freezer or fresh, potatoes, and a vegetable, fresh or frozen.

Dijon Salmon Topped
-2 salmon filets
-2.5 tbsp Grey Poupon Mild & Creamy Dijon Mustard (basically regular Dijon mustard, but whole grain, mixed with mayonnaise - it's GREAT)
-1.5 tbsp. brown sugar
-2 tsp. pure maple syrup
-Garlic powder
Mashed Potatoes
-3 Yukon Gold potatoes
-2-4 tbsp. light mayonnaise
-2 tbsp. Earth Balance
-2 tsp. mild & creamy dijon
-Minced garlic, garlic powder, salt, pepper, nutmeg, Italian seasoning, dried parsley, onion powder

-Combine the dijon, maple syrup, some garlic powder, and the brown sugar in a bowl and mix with a fork. Add the salmon to the bowl & let marinate (you can marinate this for hours, or as little as 15 minutes if that's all the time you have), making sure all sides are coated with the sauce.
-Preheat the oven to 375
-In the meantime, peel and quarter the potatoes and place in a pot of water, bring to a boil (pot covered). Boil 10-12 minutes or so until fork tender. Drain. Mash the potatoes with a fork or potato masher (I suggest quartering the potatoes, or even smaller, because it makes for easier mashing). If time allows, I also suggest steaming the potatoes as an alternative cooking method, as it retains way more nutrients than boiling them (it does take longer though).
-Mix in the Earth Balance, mayonnaise, dijon, and any spices you like. I used a little of all the ones I listed above, and just added more salt & pepper to taste.
-Place the salmon on a foil lined baking sheet sprayed with Pam, and brush any remaining sauce on top. With your hands (easiest way) spread the mashed potatoes on top of the salmon (you don't need to use it all- I have leftover mashed potatoes for the hubs for lunch!)
-Bake for 10 minutes. Then turn the broiler on high and broil for a few minutes until the top gets slightly golden brown.

-While the salmon is baking prepare the
Sauteed Collard Greens with Garlic Chips
-Wash and dry well. Remove the stems, roll up the leaves, and cut into ribbons (medium sized?).
-Thinly slice 2 large cloves of garlic. Add a few drizzles of olive oil to a large saute pan over medium-high heat, and immediately add the garlic (while the oil is still cold). Saute until golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and then add the collards to the pan.
-Sprinkle some salt, and toss with tongs. Pour in some water, and cook greens until absorbed.
-Drizzle in just a teaspoon or 2 of lemon juice, and add the garlic chips back in and toss well.

-When the salmon is done, mix a little of the dijon with some honey in a bowl to drizzle over the top of the salmon. Top with french fried onions (product alert- Trader Joe's now sells them! Copycat of French's but just as good!), and the greens on the side. I added some golden raisins to my collards too.

If anyone wants to object to the deliciousness of this dinner, feel free. You know where to reach me ;-)

E
P.S. This picture is from my phone, which doesn't have the best quality. I took a better picture on my real camera but wanted to post this asap!