Jan 07 2015

The Perfect Wedge Salad

I really enjoy a good wedge salad and order them on occasion at a few popular chain restaurants – BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse, Outback Steakhouse and Ruth’s Chris Steak House. Not sure what side of the steakhouse vs. steak house fence I reside on, I just know that nothing beats a good, crispy wedge salad on a chilled plate. Whether there is a space or not between “steak” and “house” doesn’t get me all fired up. Just bring on the wedge.

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I started searching for copycat recipes online and found a couple and tweaked the ingredients to my liking. I’ve not always been a huge blue cheese fan. I’ve come to realize that there is a HUGE difference between blue cheeses and paying a little extra for quality is worth it. I am strangely also not a fan of blue cheese dressing on my wedge salads – I’m a simple gal that prefers ranch with chunks of blue cheese sold separately :).

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I braved Costco 2 days before the holidays to score some Point Reyes Original Blue™ and it was totally worth dodging pumpkin pie toting holiday shoppers to get some. The above wedge was just under $15.00 – sorry I forgot to note the actual weight. I know I was able to use it in several other recipes as well. An additional bonus to braving Costco was scoring two awesome dog beds for the fur kids. 

I was first introduced to Point Reyes Original Blue Cheese at a Foodbuzz festival in San Francisco. It was being served at one of the sponsored parties I attended. It was velvety smooth and had more of a medium to strong flavor punch compared to some that tend to overwhelm your palate. I have also tried their White Cheddar and would love to try their Point Reyes Toma.

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My next wedge salad ingredient find was this Limited Edition – Wright Brand – Honey Bourbon Flavored Bacon. I found it at a Walmart Neighborhood Market for $8.99. This is SCREAMIN’ good bacon. I baked it on parchment paper in the oven and it crisped to perfection, while still leaving me with a center cut – meaty texture – easy for crumbling onto my salads. I’ve since gone back to stock up – I’ve got a package in the freezer and another one ready in the fridge for random BLT delights. Dan is a big fan.

The one thing I like about Outback’s wedge is their use of a balsamic reduction. I knew I needed to recreate that in my own version, so I ended up using that portion of one of the copycat recipes I found on Pinterest via Lexie’s Kitchen and Living blog.

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Balsamic Drizzle Ingredients:

  • 1/2 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1/8 Cup Honey
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt

Salad Ingredients:

  • 1 Head Iceberg Lettuce – quartered
  • 1/4 to 1/2 Medium Sized Red Onion – finely diced
  • 1-2 Medium Tomatoes – seeded and diced – could also use grape or cherry
  • 8 Bacon Strips – 2 per salad
  • Point Reyes Original Blue Cheese
  • Ranch Dressing – I made a pack of Hidden Valley Original Ranch

Directions

  1. Chill plates for at least 30 minutes prior to serving.
  2. In small sauce pan, bring Balsamic Drizzle ingredients to a gentle simmer and reduce to a thick syrup.
  3. Make ranch dressing and chill. Could also use pre-made/bottled.
  4. Cook, crumble and set aside bacon. Note: I baked mine in the oven at 350º F. on parchment for 20-25 minutes.
  5. Cut lettuce into four wedges and place on chilled plates.
  6. Drizzle with ranch dressing and then add tomato, red onion and crumbled bacon to each wedge.
  7. Top salads with balsamic glaze drizzle and blue cheese crumbles and serve.

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I made the salad several times over my holiday break and know that it will continue to be a “go to” recipe for me. I also stopped in at an Outback just to try theirs again and I like being able to control the amount of dressing used – they get pretty generous. I prefer it on the lighter side, especially when used in combination with the balsamic drizzle. Sure, I can ask for dressing on the side, but it’s all about how things are layered my friends… the ranch goes first, always FIRST. 🙂

In other news… I had a fabulous Christmas/winter break and I’m pretty excited to see what’s in store for 2015. It’s definitely time to get back in the kitchen. I took advantage of easy dinners and tried some new restaurants with friends, but I also started the new year off right by getting back to my usual Sunday meal prep for the week. Now I just need to get back to exercise, baby steps… baby steps. 

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Dec 10 2014

Quinoa and Grilled Sourdough Salad

I’ve been obsessed with variations of this salad ever since I made it last month. I am the queen of croutons and my favorites (Marcy’s Gourmet – Slightly Spiced Croutons – made with Calabrese bread) are no longer sold at my local grocery store. So because of this recipe, I started making my own and now I pretty much eat bread salads, ha ha.

Quinoa and Sourdough Salad

I like a heartier salad during the fall/winter months and this delivered. I haven’t been too adventurous with recipes lately, I’m sticking to soups and salads for the most part. Hoping to try a few new things over the holidays when I will have more time while on staycation. 

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The Ingredients:

  • 1/4 Cup of Quinoa
  • 4 Slices Sourdough Bread
  • 1/3 Cup Olive Oil – plus extra to brush onto the bread
  • 1 Container of Mixed Tomatoes – could also use 4 medium size or 1-2 cups of grape, cherry or sunburst tomatoes
  • 1 Large Cucumber – peeled – I used an English cucumber
  • 1 Avocado – rough chopped
  • 1/2 Small Red Onion – thinly sliced
  • 4 Tablespoons Chopped Cilantro
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons Chopped Mint
  • 2 Tablespoons Chopped Parsley
  • 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
  • 1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
  • 2 Dorat Garlic Cubes – 2 small, crushed garlic cloves if using fresh
  • Sea Salt and Ground Pepper – to taste

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 Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Place the quinoa in a saucepan and cook per package instructions.
  • Brush the sourdough bread with a little bit of olive oil and sprinkle with some sea salt. Lay the slices on a baking sheet and bake for about 10-15  minutes, turning them over halfway through. The bread should be completely dry and crisp. Remove from the oven and allow to cool down, then cut or rip by hand into different-sized pieces.
  • Chop up all of the herbs (cilantro, parsley and mint) and set aside to add later. 
  • Cut the tomatoes in half if using grape, cherry or Sunkist tomatoes – or to roughly 3/4-inch dice if using medium size. Place in a mixing bowl.
  • Cut thick cucumber slices into halves or quarters. Thinly slice the red onion and roughly chop the avocado.  

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  • Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, garlic and salt and pepper together to create the dressing
  • Add all salad ingredients, including the quinoa and croutons to a big bowl and then add the dressing. Stir gently until everything is mixed together. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper if needed.

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I was pretty sloppy with the olive oil – creating arrows on 3 of the pieces. I ended up using a little more than shown in the above photo because it soaked into the bread so fast. I did end up coating both sides before adding sea salt. 

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I decided to go for slicing the bread over tearing it – I think either way would be fine. 

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And now I present to you – my new obsession. Since this recipe I’ve tried different spices on my croutons – garlic salt, cayenne, smoked paprika, thyme, crushed rosemary – I am a crouton making machine. I even just pop the bread in the toaster when I’m in a hurry and brush oil on it after I remove it. One piece of bread per salad is my rule. Trust me, I could do more. If using the toaster, you may have to cut the single piece in half – seeing as most sourdough pieces are too large for a regular size toaster.  

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The original recipe from [the nest] didn’t include avocados, but I knew I wanted it in my version. I also knew that I wanted grape and cherry tomatoes over sliced larger tomatoes. I now start off my Sunday evening by making a big batch of quinoa for salads. For those that feel quinoa tastes “too earthy” – a salad is the perfect way to incorporate it into your diet, it absorbs the dressing and sticks to other salad ingredients creating a nice texture.

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 The fresh herbs really made the other ingredients pop. The mint and cucumber were fabulous together. 

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Feel free to omit any of the three herbs if you aren’t a fan. I know people either love or hate cilantro – Mint and cilantro are very potent – so you may need to scale back on the amount if you are sensitive to that.

Remember, it’s a salad – there are no rules and it’s pretty hard to screw it up.  I just play around until I find the right combo. For instance, I like my croutons to be warm when I place them into my salads. I also like to use organic baby spring mix because the warmth of the croutons wilts it perfectly. The croutons give me crunch and I’ve also started adding garbanzo beans for additional fiber and protein. 

[yumprint-recipe id=’5′]I made wedge salads for Thanksgiving and will post that recipe soon. Until then, it’s Christmas all up in my house. I’m decorating, watching my Hallmark, Up and Lifetime Christmas movies and loving every minute of it. 

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Oct 29 2014

Roasted Pears with Brie & Pistachios

Each month I search the Internet for a new recipe to highlight for a wellness website I support. It’s always a challenge to find something that meets the needs of a diverse audience – vegetarian, vegan, flexitarian, pescatarian, raw, gluten free, etc. – I try to really vary my selections from month to month.

I was asked this question the other day – Have you tried all of the monthly recipes you post? Sadly my answer was “no” – not  that I haven’t wanted to, I just have others that interest me more. I do pay attention to reviews though. Picking recipes to satisfy the masses is much more difficult than me posting about recipes that peek my own personal interest and since I own and operate this website, it’s all about what I like… me… me… me…

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In my latest November search, I stumbled upon this gem from EatingWell.com – Roasted Pears with Brie & Pistachios. I knew immediately that I wanted to try this myself. I ended up picking a turkey recipe for the wellness website because the last couple of recipes I chose were vegetarian and lots of people have an abundance of turkey around the holidays.

Speaking of turkey and the main holiday that seems to include that – THANKSGIVING. This is the beginning of my favorite time of  the year. From Halloween to Christmas – bring on the fall weather, the more savory dishes and party snacks/appetizers galore. It’s also the time where I usually increase my workouts :).

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Ingredients:

  • 2 Heaping Tablespoons Honey Mustard
  • 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Juice of 1/2 a Lemon
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
  • 2 Bosc Pears
  • 2 Ounces Brie Cheese – Cut into 4 slices
  • 4 Teaspoons Chopped Pistachios – Toasted

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I preheated my oven and got to work prepping ingredients…

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Use a non-stick baking sheet or a metal pan with cooking spray.
  2. Whisk honey mustard, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
  3. Cut pears in half lengthwise, hollow out the core with a melon baller and slice a small piece off the other side of the pear so they will lie flat when cooking/serving.
  4. Brush each pear with the honey mustard glaze and place cored-side down on the baking sheet.
  5. Bake the pears for 25-30 minutes, basting halfway through with the glaze. Gently turn them over, baste again and place a piece of Brie in the hollow of each pear. Bake until the pears are tender and the Brie is slightly softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
  6. Sprinkle each pear half with 1 teaspoon toasted pistachios and more salt and pepper if needed and serve.

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I cut my pears in half and thankfully I had picked some good ones. How do you know if they are ripe? Apply gentle pressure to the neck, or stem end, of the pear with your thumb. If it yields to pressure, then it’s ripe and ready to eat. Leave firm, unripe pears at room temperature so that they can ripen. 

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I put my melon baller to work and prepped all 4 halves.

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I gave them a generous coating of the honey mustard glaze and popped them into the oven face down.

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I started to toast my pistachios during the first 15 minutes of cook time.

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I bought a cheater bag so I didn’t have to shell them myself. I used pistachios that were already salted.

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I roughed chopped them and placed them in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 5 minutes.

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I actually used a scale and measured out my cheese – I’ve never really been one to pay attention to “ounces” when it comes to cheese, but Brie is really rich and I didn’t want to go to overboard. Not even sure it’s possible to go overboard with any cheese, ha-ha. It’s a weakness of mine for sure. I was also trying to avoid a molten lava cheese lake on my favorite baking sheet.

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I popped the pears back into the oven and made one adjustment – I did end up pulling off the rind with tongs after it melted. I didn’t like the way it looked and sometimes the rind can be a little bitter and I wasn’t looking for that in this recipe.

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They looked like potatoes when they were done – Hmmm…. there’s a thought. I ended up adding a little sea salt and pepper to the finished pears – next time I’d also like to drizzle a little of the honey mustard glaze on top. They were delicious, but I think the glaze would help counteract the sweetness a bit. They would be a great starter course or side dish to roasted pork or lamb. They would also be a good dessert for those that prefer savory desserts over super sweet because this combined both. I’m guessing you could really experiment with different glazes as well. A pomegranate glaze would also be fabulous.

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if you are looking for a different starter course of side dish for Thanksgiving, I think this would fit the bill.

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I will definitely make these or a variation again. What’s a side dish you can’t compromise on for Thanksgiving? No matter what, it WILL be on your table… For me it’s my Aunt’s cranberry relish.
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