Summer and Fall Flavors

To me, nothing beats the summer flavors of tomato and basil. A simple caprese salad (tomato, basil, mozzarella, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil) is one of the most satisfyingly delicious meals you can eat. And after purchasing an additional 20 pounds of tomatoes from our CSA, Brendan and I had our fill of the tomato-basil combo. But just as satisfying as those summer flavors is the warm taste and smell of fall vegetables being roasted in the oven, with just a hint of olive oil, salt, and pepper. This post is a tribute to the best of summer and best of fall flavors.  

Best of Summer: Tomato-Basil Quinoa
Serves 4
Ingredients:
-1 cup quinoa
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
-1 tablespoon tomato paste
-3 small tomatoes, diced
-1 bunch of swiss chard, chopped
-1/4 cup basil, chopped
-1 15oz. can low-sodium navy beans, drained & rinsed
-Parmesan cheese
-salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Cook quinoa according to package
2. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and stir for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and stir for another 1 minute. 
3. Add the diced tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes
4. Add chopped swiss chard and cook until wilted (3-5 minutes)
5. Toss in the basil, beans, and cooked quinoa. Mix well to make sure everything is heated through (particularly the beans).
6. Serve with Parmesan cheese grated on top. 

Best of Fall: Roasted Harvest Vegetables 
Modified from: Fight Back With Food, by Editors of Reader's Digest
Serves: 6

Ingredients: 
-1 pound brussels sprouts, halved
-1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
-1 head of cauliflower, chopped into bite-size pieces
-2 apples, chopped into large chunks
-1 onion, quartered (skin still on)
-3 tablespoons olive oil (remember, 3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon)
-1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
-2 green onions, sliced
-1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
-1 tablespoon dried rosemary
-2 teaspoons garlic powder
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Mix brussels sprouts with 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Mix well.
3. Spread sprouts on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, until browned and crispy. 
4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 for squash, cauliflower, and apple. Spread onion quarters with remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil and roast on the corners of one of the baking sheets.
*My oven fits two baking sheets, so I was able to do two rounds of roasting veggies.
5. When onions are done, peel off the skin and chop the roasted onion into bite size pieces. 
6. Combine all roasted veggies (and apple!) in a large bowl. 
7. Add remaining ingredients to the bowl (sun-dried tomatoes through pepper) and mix well. 
8. Serve hot or at room temperature. 

Best of Summer & Fall: Roasted Beet Salad with Basil Dressing
Modified from Cooking Light
Serves 6

Ingredients for salad
-4 beets, roasted and sliced 
-1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
-fronds from fennel bulb, chopped
-1 small head of endive, sliced
-1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
-6 cups baby spinach, or any other type of salad greens
-3 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese (or whatever type of cheese you prefer)
-salt & pepper, to taste

Ingredients for salad dressing
**The salad dressing is out of this world, crazy-good. Be prepared to fall in love. 
-3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
-1 tablespoon honey
-1 teaspoon grated orange rind
-orange juice from 1/2 an orange (should be about 2 tablespoons)
-2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
-2 teaspoons olive oil
-2 teaspoons dijon mustard
-1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
You can follow the exact directions from Cooking Light, but I recommend my way of roasting the beets. And you can add the cheese at the very end.
To roast beets: 
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Place whole beets (with skin) in an oven-proof container, with just a bit of water in the bottom, covered with aluminum foil. 
3. Roast for 50 minutes. 
4. When you can easily pierce the beets with a fork, the beets are cooked. 
5. Let the beets cool. 
6. Once you can handle the beets, use your hands to peel off the skin--it should slide right off. 
7. Cut the beets into slices for the salad.

Different Yet Delectable

One of my favorite bitches recently told me that she is getting sick of eating the same foods every night. She is too tired to cook something complicated when she gets home. In fact, she's basically too tired to cook. And as funny as my post about cooking a whole fish was, she's not going to be making a whole fish anytime soon, and therefore needs some posts about quick, easy, nutritious, and tasty recipes. No problem. Here are two dishes I made this week, each of which took fewer than 30 minutes to prep and cook, and both of which are insanely yummy. They may look and sound different, but trust me, they're quite delectable: 

Fennel, Orange, & Beet Salad
Serving size: 1 salad
Ingredients:
-two handfuls of spring salad mix (or any other salad greens you like)
-1/4 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
-1/2 orange (any kind you like), thinly sliced
-1/4 avocado, cut into chunks
-1/2 cup canned sliced beets (no salt added), drained, rinsed, and cut into half moons
-1/4 cup hothouse cucumber, thinly sliced
-2 tablespoons roasted pecan halves, chopped
-2 tablespoons crumbled feta or goat cheese
-fresh cracked black pepper
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl together. Top with homemade balsamic vinaigrette (recipe below). Mix well. Devour and enjoy!


Homemade Honey-Balsamic Vinaigrette 
Serving size: enough for 1 salad
Ingredients:
-2 teaspoons dijon mustard
-1 teaspoon honey
-1/2 tablespoon baslamic vinegar
-1/2 tablespoon olive oil
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in small bowl. Whisk together. Drizzle over salad.


Pasta and Eggplant with Ricotta Sauce 
Serving size: 1
Ingredients:
-1/4 -1/2 cup pasta (any shape you want!)
-1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
-2 tablespoons parsley, minced
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-1/2 onion, chopped
-1 cup eggplant, diced into chunks
-2 garlic cloves, minced
Optional ingredients:
-1/4 cup silken tofu (can't even taste it!)
-1 tablespoon sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
-parmesan cheese, grated
Directions
1. Cook pasta according to package. Reserve 1/8 cup of pasta water.
2. Combine ricotta cheese, parsley, silken tofu (if using), and fresh cracked pepper in a small bowl. Mix until ingredients are well blended. Set aside.
3. Heat skillet on medium, and add olive oil once skillet is hot. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes, until onions are browned.
4. Add eggplant, garlic, and sun-dried tomatoes (if using) to skillet. Cook for another 5-8 minutes (if eggplant is sticking to pan, add about 2 tablespoons of water to the skillet), until eggplant is browned.
5. Add pasta to skillet, cook for about 30 seconds.
6. Add ricotta mixture to pan and combine all ingredients. Cook for about 1 more minute, to make sure sauce is heated through. 
7. Serve and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese. Eat. Enjoy!