Squash and Green Beans

Faced with an abundance of crookneck squash, I came up with this recipe that includes a few green beans, red onion, and a balsamic vinegar and fresh basil finish. It's mellow and goes with almost anything.

Squash and Green Beans

1 medium crookneck squash, seeded and cut into bite-sized pieces

1-2 cups green beans, tipped and cut into 1-inch lengths

1/4 of a large red onion

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup chicken broth (or water)

1-2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup sliced fresh basil leaves

salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a skillet and sauté the onions for about 1 minute. Add the squash and green beans. Continue sautéeing for 1-2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, cover and simmer 5-10 minutes or until tender crisp. Uncover the skillet and let the mixture simmer until almost all of the liquid is gone. Add the balsamic vinegar, season to taste. Just before serving, sprinkle with fresh basil.

Blueberry Clafoutis

In the past I've made cherry clafoutis, and peach clafoutis. Tonight I thought a blueberry clafoutis sounded good. And it was. I used basically the same recipe as for the cherry clafoutis, with slight alterations.

Blueberry Clafoutis

2 cups washed blueberries

1/4 cup sugar

2 eggs, separated

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/3 cup cream

pinch of salt

cinnamon sugar to sprinkle on top

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9 or 10 inch round baking dish. Place the blueberries in the bottom of the dish.

Beat together the egg yolks and sugar until creamy and light-coloured. Beat in the flour, vanilla, lemon zest, cinnamon and cream. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form soft peaks. Gently fold the whites into the yolk mixture.

Pour the batter over the blueberries. It will be thin. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar, or icing sugar over top. Serve warm.

Avocado Strawberry Salad

Fresh strawberries are one of summer's joys. Inspired by my daughter, I came up with this salad. Her version has lime juice and cilantro, which would be equally delicious, but I had no limes in the house, and the man I love and cook for detests cilantro. 

Avocado Strawberry Salad

fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced if large

avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into chunks

candied ginger, finely chopped ( I used 2 teaspoons of this to one avocado)

freshly chopped parsley

Combine all and gently toss with raspberry vinaigrette. (Mine has a hint of mustard in it.) Serve over lettuce, or on its own. Simple, and oh, so delicious.


Linking to Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum

Roasted Cauliflower with Raisins and Capers

I found this recipe in the French Women Don't Get Fat Cookbook about 2 weeks ago and have made it twice already. Mellow cauliflower, a little sweet, a little salt and a bit of crunch add up to something that tickles the taste buds in a very satisfying way. It's good hot or at room temperature. I've altered the recipe slightly, cutting down on the olive oil, and substituting sunflower seeds for the pine nuts.

1/3 cup raisins 

2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 large head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into small florets

3 Tablespoons olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Tablespoon capers, drained and slightly chopped (or leave whole)

3 Tablespoons roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds (or pine nuts)

1 Tablespoon finely chopped parsley

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the raisins and vinegar in a small bowl and allow the raisins to plump for about 30 minutes. 

Place the cauliflower florets on a baking sheet and drizzle with about 2 Tablespoons of the olive oil. Season to taste and roast in the oven for 25 minutes, turning occasionally. It may not take this long - watch for browning.

In a medium bowl, combine the raisins, along with the vinegar, capers, sunflower seeds and remaining olive oil. Season lightly.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and pour the raisin-caper mixture over the cauliflower, tossing gently. Return the baking sheet to the oven and continue roasting for an additional 15 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender and caramelized. Remove from the oven, place in a bowl and sprinkle with parsley. 

Nut Crusted Little Qualicum Brie Cheese Salad

I've made this salad quite often for a number of years and don't even know where the inspiration for it came from. It's simple and tastes so good, the creamy cheese melting against the crunchy nuts with a slight buttery taste offset by the crisp greens. Really, there's little to improve on.

As far as a recipe goes, it's very loose: 

Set out three small bowls. In one place a couple of tablespoons of flour, in another one beaten egg, and in the third, some chopped nuts. These could be almonds (as above), pecans or walnuts. Hazelnuts might be good, too. 

Cut the Brie cheese into wedges, not too thick. The last time I served this I used thicker wedges and I think I prefer the thinner ones - the ratio of crust to cheese is better.

Coat the wedges with flour, then egg, then nuts. I use one hand for the flour, the other for the eggs and nuts. It's a little messy, but the end result is well worth the effort. Place the wedges on a plate and chill them, if you like, up to 4 or 5 hours. They can also be cooked immediately, but it's nice to do this ahead. 

Melt a little butter in a small skillet and when it's hot, almost browning, add the cheese wedges. Quickly sauté them on each side. They should sizzle a little and the cheese will begin to ooze. Place them on a plate of greens that has been drizzled with your choice of salad dressing - raspberry vinaigrette is good. And, if it's berry season, add some raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries to the salad. But really, this salad is all about the cheese.

Strawberry Squares

I try new recipes all the time. Some I make more than once, like this one. Dorothy gave me this recipe about 30 years ago. She's the wife of the physician who delivered our eldest daughter in a small jungle hospital in South America.  I remember first eating this - it was so deliciously cool and frosty - perfect for a hot and humid climate. 

I've made this recipe more times than I can count. I like having it in the freezer during the summer - to me, it's better than ice cream! 

Strawberry Squares

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup walnuts or pecans (optional)

Crumble the above ingredients all together, using your hands or a food processor. Place in a 9 x 13 inch glass pan. I just put all the ingredients in the pan and mix it there. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, stirring once or twice. Let cool completely. Take out about 1/3 of the crumbs to use for a topping, and ensure that the remaining crumbs are scattered evenly over the pan bottom. Set aside while you make the filling.

2 egg whites

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups partially frozen strawberries (or raspberries)

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 cup whipping cream

In a large mixing bowl, place the egg whites, sugar, strawberries (with any juice) and lemon juice. Beat at high speed for 10 minutes. You will have a bowl full of lovely strawberry meringue. This can splatter so take precautions.

Whip the cream in a separate bowl until stiff. Fold cream into the strawberry mixture. Turn into glass pan, on top of crumbs. Smooth the top, sprinkle on reserved crumbs. Freeze for at least 6 hours. Cut into squares to serve. 

Mexican Chopped Salad

Now that summer is coming - and we ate outside for the first time this year - I'm looking for more salad recipes. This recipe is one of my favorites - lots of vegetables, lots of flavor. And if someone doesn't like tomatoes, they are easy enough to ignore. The dressing is citrusy and just barely sweet - a perfect balance. I've slightly adapted the recipe from one found in Fine Cooking magazine.

Mexican Chopped Salad

Dressing:
1 small clove garlic
kosher salt
3 T fresh lime juice
3 T fresh orange juice
2 tsp finely chopped shallot
1 T honey
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup olive oil
freshly ground black pepper

Mince and mash the garlic with 1/4 tsp salt to a paste. Whisk garlic paste with orange and lime juices, shallot, honey and ground cumin. Slowly whisk in the oil. Season to taste with pepper and a bit more salt, if needed. Set aside.


Vegetables:
corn (I used frozen and thawed)
black beans (rinsed, if using canned, and drained)
tomatoes, cored and chopped
sweet red pepper, diced (or use roasted red peppers)
avocado, diced


chopped cilantro or parsley


On a platter, arrange mounds of corn (I use frozen and thawed), black beans (rinsed and drained), chopped tomatoes, diced red bell pepper (I sometimes do these roasted), and diced avocado. Drizzle with the dressing and sprinkle with chopped cilantro, or chopped parsley if cilantro isn't in your list of things to enjoy. (like some of my family members)


Mixing a finely chopped jalapeno pepper with the black beans would kick up the flavor a little. But if you serve this with already spicy foods, the salad is a cool contrast.