Classic Stawberry and Gorgonzola Salad

An easy and delicious salad for a little change of pace. I've always been scared to try this, for some reason strawberries in salad always got a "yuck" from me. On a whim I tossed this together tonight and the results were fabulous. The pecan/strawberry combo gets a punch from the cheese and the balsamic vinaigrette pulls it all together. We had this with leftover rice pilaf from the kids' dinner and it was a light, yet satisfying meal.

Time it Will Take
10 minutes or less

Ingredients

For the salad adjust quantities to suit:
2-3 c dark green salad blend like baby spinach and arugala
5-7 strawberries, stems removed and cut into quaters
1/4 c roughly chopped pecans
1/4 c Gorgonzola or other blue cheese
1/2 avocado diced

For the dressing:
1 small garlic clove peeled and hit with the back of a knife to lightly crush OR 2t shallot minced fine
1/4 c olive oil
1T balsamic vinegar
1/2-1T honey
1/4 t coarse salt
2t mustard

Directions

Toss the salad ingredients together in a large bowl. Rub the inside of a smaller bowl with the garlic clove, discard. If using shallot add shallot to the bowl. Whisk together honey, oil, vinegar, and salt. Toss salad with desired amount of dressing. Done!

Cooks note: I have a bit of a sweet tooth so 1T honey is fine with me. Half would do for most people since the balsamic adds a sweetness of its own. Overall this dressing should be dark, sweet, and tangy.

Chevre Stuffed Mushrooms

I hit the store today with pretty bare cupboards and found a few surprise sale items to make a nice mid-week treat. Everyone's noses perked up when I started cooking, and even my toddler wanted to taste the filling. My husband (not the biggest stuffed mushroom fan) finished every last one, including the extras I had made for lunch. All told I think I spent 6 dollars on the main ingredients. Not bad! I ususally keep a few large bags of nuts in the freezer like Pine Nuts, Walnuts, and Pecans. It comes in handy.

Time it will take
8 minutes hands on, 25 minutes total

Ingredients

6 Baby Bella Mushrooms or other suitable stuffers, rinsed and stems removed
2oz Chevre (Goat Cheese)
1/3 c Pecans finely chopped
1 large shallot
1T butter
1/4c breadcrumbs
1/4t dried thyme
1T finely diced, peeled apple
2t chopped fresh parsley (opt)
pinch of cayenne
generous amount of fresh ground black pepper
Salt to taste


Directions

Heat butter in non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add pecans, apple and shallot and saute for about 5 minutes or until fragrant and golden, and shallots are soft. Set aside in bowl and let cool briefly.

Preheat oven to 375. Brush a baking sheet very lightly with olive oil and place mushrooms cap side down on sheet. Lightly salt the inside of the mushrooms.

Add remainder of ingredients to the bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until everything is blended. Stuff each mushroom with filling (as much as necessary) and bake for 15-20 minutes until tops are golden and mushrooms are cooked through.

Serve with a green salad. Tastes wonderful as is or with a very light drizzle of balsamic dressing.

Grilled Zucchini with Ricotta

Ingredients

2 large zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 1/4" strips
olive oil
fresh basil
2/3c Ricotta
1/4t herbs (oregano or basil)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 clove garlic
crushed red pepper (opt)
Cremini mushrooms sliced in half lengthways
Shiitake Mushrooms
Red Wine Vinegar
Mustard
salt and pepper

Time it will take

About 25 minutes

Directions

Whisk 1/4c red wine vinegar with 1t mustard, 1/2c olive oil, a generous pinch of salt, and 1 clove garlic (crushed). Toss mushrooms with dressing and center on a sheet of tin foil. Foil up sides to make an open packet shape. Brush zucchini lightly with oil.

Add mushrooms packet to top rack or side of grill. Put zucchini directly on grill and grill for about 3 minutes per side, until tender. Mushrooms should be done around the same time (tender).

Mix ricotta with the remaining garlic and herbs.

Serve zucchini over a bed of tortellini (or other pasta) tossed with lemon and butter. Add scoop of ricotta and mushrooms on the side. Sprinkle lightly with crushed pepper and torn fresh basil leaves.

Eggplant Vodka

This is the kind of dish that makes even sworn enemies of eggplant swoon. I can't say I'm a huge fan of eggplant myself, but this dish I'll eat anyday. It's definitely one of my own creations I made specifically to try and come to a truce with eggplant. I've taken it to parties where the smell entices people to give it "a little taste" which always turns into a big helping. We tend to make this as a special treat with a hearty glass of merlot or, even better, a spicy red zinfandel.

Ingredients

One large eggplant, peeled and sliced into 1/4" thick slices
10 cloves of garlic
olive oil
1 can diced tomatoes
2T tomato paste
1/4c vodka
2T butter
1/3c milk or cream
1/4t red pepper flakes (opt)
1 egg beaten with 2T water (opt)
1c breadcrumbs
1/2c flour (opt)
coarse salt
1/2 fresh mozarella grated
1/2c parmesan

Instructions

For the Eggplant

You can prepare the eggplant in any way you like. We've used grilled, broiled, and fried. Our preference is for a simple broiled version or breaded and broiled. Whichever method you plan on cooking the eggplant you should salt it first. If you've never worked with eggplant before, pre-salting is a treatment to extract any bitter juices from your eggplant slices. Put your slices of eggplant into a colander and generously salt each slice. Let stand in colander for 30 minutes. Rinse well and pat dry the slices.

To broil simply, heat broiler on high. Brush each slice of eggplant with a thin coat of olive oil and arrange in a single layer in a baking sheet. Broil on high for 8-10 minutes, or until tender, turing once after about 4 minutes.

If you want a more classic version drege each slice of eggplant lightly in flour, then dip in egg mixture and roll in breadcrumbs. Cook as above under broiler.

For the sauce

Saute garlic over medium heat with 2T olive oil until fragrant and golden. Add tomatoes and 2/3c water and simmer for 10 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate. Add vodka and red pepper flakes (if using) and cook for 1 minute. Add milk and butter and stir until smooth. Transfer sauce to blender and pulse  briefly for a smoother texture. Return to pot and salt to taste, about teaspoon or two of coarse salt.

Adjust oven temperature oven to 350 degrees

To assemble, in a baking casserole add a layer of eggplant. Top with a ladleful of sauce and sprinkle with breadcrumbs, a little mozarella, and parmesan. Continue this way until the dish is filled, ending with a topping of cheeses. Bake for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly and cheese is golden.