Just Let This Sink In: February 2016 Shopping List Please buy organic when and if you can. 12 oz chicken sausage, Italian or Greek style 2 ¼- ½ lbs salmon fillet 7 large-extra large eggs Bakery 1 loaf crusty bread Fresh Herbs: Always check the fridge first 1 bunch of basil, for 10 good sized leaves 1 bunch of Italian parsley, ½ cup 1 bunch of thyme, 2 teaspoons 1 bunch of dill, 2 tablespoons Dairy Unsalted butter, 1 ¼ sticks 1/3 cup crème fraiche ¼ cup feta cheese 1 ½ cups milk (1 or 2 % is fine) 3 oz Neuchaatel or cream cheese Dry 64 oz low sodium chicken broth 4 (15 oz) cannellini beans 1 (15 oz) butter beans 6-8 oz fettucine pasta Frozen 1 ½ cups frozen peas From Your Pantry ***ALWAYS CHECK THIS LIST IT CHANGES*** Olive oil, 1/2 cup Vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons Red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, 2 teaspoons All purpose flour, 3 tablespoons Kosher Salt Pepper Produce 2 large yellow onion 1 bunch chard 1 head garlic, 2 cloves 1 red onion 1 bunch of asparagus 2 large sweet potatoes 8 oz baby spinach 2 lemons
White Bean, Sausage and Chard Soup: February 2016 MONDAY: White Bean, Sausage and Chard Soup This is a soup that you will go back to often and it s easy to keep the ingredients on hand. Chicken sausage makes this a lighter version of a classic sausage and bean soup. I like to use Bruce Aidell s Italian Style, Artichoke & Garlic, Sundried Tomato or Sweet Basil and Garlic. Serves: 4-6 Prep: 5 Cooking: 30-40 12 oz chicken sausage, Italian or Greek style 64 oz (8 cups) low sodium chicken broth, divided 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced Kosher salt Black pepper 4 (15 oz) white beans (cannellini, navy or great northern), drained 1 (15 oz) butter beans, drained 1 bunch organic chard, stems and tough ribs removed, leaves roughly chopped 1 loaf of crusty bread 1 Heat 3 tablespoons of the broth in a large pot over medium heat. 2 Add sliced sausage in a single layer and cook, stirring occasionally until sausage is just browned, about 8 minutes. 3 Add onions, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, another 8 minutes more. Add 1 tablespoon of broth to the pot if onions begin to stick. 4 Meanwhile, combine 2 cans of beans, drained, and 2 cups broth in a blender and purée until totally smooth; set aside. 5 Add remaining broth, 5-6 cups to sausage mixture in pot and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. 6 Add the chopped chard, reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until wilted - about 5 minutes. 7 Uncover, add remaining 2 cans of drained cannellini beans, drained butter beans, bean puree, salt and pepper and simmer until heated, about 6-8 minutes more. 8 Serve with crust bread in warmed bowls.
Herb Roasted Salmon with Warm Quinoa Salad: February 2016 TUESDAY: Herb Roasted Salmon with Warm Quinoa Salad My kids call this creamy pesto it really isn t but who cares? They are eating it! This preparation is so simple and imparts so much fresh flavor to the salmon while keeping it moist. We are not just cooked through salmon fans so, I ll roast it for 25-30 minutes. Adjust to your crews taste. NOTE: This recipe makes extra salmon for use later in the week. Serves: 4 Prep: 15 Cooking: 30 For the Salmon 1 1/4 lb salmon 1/3 crème fraiche 10 leaves basil, torn 1-2 cloves garlic, rough chopped 1 tablespoon Italian parsley, rough chopped 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, rough chopped ½ teaspoon each, (sea) salt and pepper For the Quinoa 1 cup quinoa 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 Preheat oven to 425º. 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons red onion, chopped ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 1 bunch asparagus, thick stems removed and tops cut into 1 pieces ¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled 2 Bring 2 ½ cups water, quinoa and salt to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes uncovered. Remove from heat, cover and set aside for 10 minutes. 3 Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with heavy foil. Center the salmon fillets lengthwise, skin side down, on the sheet. 4 In a blender or food processor, combine crème fraiche, herbs, garlic, salt and pepper. 5 Spread the herb sauce over half of the salmon evenly much like you are frosting a cake. 6 Coat other the with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. 7 Bake for 15 minutes test doneness by peeking at the middle of the thickest part. 8 Bring a shallow pan with 1 cup of water to a boil, add asparagus. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Drain and toss into pot with quinoa. 9 Remove from salmon from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes. 10 In a large bowl, combine the vinegar, mustard, onion, dill, 2 tablespoons of oil, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. 11 Add to the pot with quinoa and asparagus and toss well. 12 Serve the salmon with the quinoa alongside.
Florentine-Style Eggs on Sweet Potato Cakes with Easy Hollandaise Sauce: February 2016 WEDNESDAY: Florentine-Style Eggs on Sweet Potato Cakes with Easy Hollandaise Sauce This is a good one to have in your back pocket when you are entertaining houseguests. We love it for a weeknight dinner too. They steps go like this: prep the veggies, melt the butter, heat the spinach, blend the sauce, make the cakes, fry the eggs, enjoy! Serves: 4 Prep: 10 Cooking: 30 For the Sweet Potato Cakes 1-2 large sweet potatoes or yams, for 2-3 cups shredded 1 small onion, diced 2 large eggs 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil pinch of Kosher salt For the Eggs 8 oz baby spinach 4 large eggs 1 tablespoon butter For the Hollandaise 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter 3 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 pinch of kosher salt Prep Opportunity Peel and shred sweet potatoes on a box grater. When ready to use, drain the liquid off. 1 Melt 1 stick of butter in the microwave or over medium heat. Allow to cool just a bit. 2 In a large pan over medium-high heat, toss the spinach with a little water until just wilted. Cover and remove from heat. Set aside. 3 In a blender, pulse 3 egg yolks and a pinch of salt until frothy. 4 Set the blender to medium setting and slowly add the melted butter and lemon juice. Keep the sauce in the blender as it may need a pulse or two before serving. 5 In a medium sized bowl, beat an egg. 6 To the egg, add shredded sweet potato, onion, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and toss to combine. 7 Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. 8 Place 4 heaps, about 1/2 cup each, of the sweet potato mixture in the pan and flatten with a spatula to about ½ thick. 9 Fry for 5 minutes until there is a golden crust. Be patient. 10 Carefully turn the cakes and cook for 4 minutes more. Transfer to a warm plate. 11 Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel and heat 1 tablespoon butter.
12 Fry the 4 eggs over easy or however your crew likes them. Of course, a speedier version would be scrambled eggs. 13 To assemble, place spinach and an egg atop each sweet potato cake. Top with blended hollandaise. 14 Pass the hot sauce!
Creamy Salmon Pasta: February 2016 THURSDAY: Creamy Salmon Pasta Looking for a healthy pasta dinner that the whole gang will dig? This dish only looks indulgent: At 7 grams of saturated fat and 40 % of your suggested daily intake of folate, it s a winner. The sauce comes together while the water boils and the pasta cooks another delicious quickie. Serves: 4 Prep: 0 Cooking: 25 1 lb salmon fillet, roasted or poached 6-8 ozs fettucine pasta 1 ½ cups frozen peas 1 ½ cups 1or 2% milk 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 3 ozs Neufchaåtel (like cream cheese) 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, divided 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest 1 Break salmon into bite-size pieces. 2 Cook pasta as directed on package. 3 Add peas 3 minutes before end of cooking time; drain. 4 Meanwhile, whisk ¼ cup milk and flour in a small saucepan until smooth. 5 Whisk in remaining 1 ¼ cups milk, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper. 6 Cook over medium heat, whisking, until as thick as heavy cream, 10 minutes. Remove from heat; add Neufchaåtel cheeseand 1 tbsp dill; whisk until cheese melts. 7 Toss pasta and peas with sauce and salmon; drizzle with juice. 8 Garnish with zest and remaining 1 tablespoon dill.